Almost Human
by SkyQueen1111
Summary: After Sam's sacrifice and death in the battle between Lucifer and Michael, Willa struggles to live normally. She never wanted to see Dean again after breaking his heart. But after he arrives back into her life, asking for her help, a prophecy arises that Willa must play an important part in. This very prophecy could either save the world or rip everything she holds dear apart.
1. Chapter 1

**_WILLA_**

Ever since Sam's death I had been alone. The impact of the traumatic fight between Lucifer and Michael still scared my thoughts. The horrific sights of Castiel's body exploding and Bobby's neck twisting around. But worst of all, Sam beating the life out of Dean. His own brother. It wasn't Sam, I knew, but the whole scene was enough to send me into nightmares and withdrawals for months afterwards.

Lucifer's acidic words as he choked me against the Impala with Sam's hand. His unbelievable strength held me down helplessly as he whispered, "We're not done with you, yet."

Dean, bloody and swollen, screamed as loud as he could, demanding that the monster let me go. He did. Throwing me over the car to land in the gory remains of Cas' body. I never could remember what happened after. I just woke up in the back of the Impala and Dean looking at me in the rear view mirror, telling me that he was taking me to the hospital. Then I blacked out again.

I didn't even know how long it had been since then. Two years maybe? It couldn't have been. I hadn't looked at a single picture of those boys and I could still recall every feature of their faces, their personalities.

To be honest I didn't want to remember them. Sam, Cas, Bobby, and especially Dean. Bobby had tried to reach out and contact me several times. Every time the conversation would go the same way.

_"You can't drop everything like that,'' he would say. "You said every time you got knocked on your ass that you wouldn't stop until the evil was gone.''_

I would coldly reply that I didn't want to live like that anymore. My hunting days were over and I wanted nothing to do with that world.

Even Cas popped up out of nowhere once. Even with him being pretty much emotionless we formed a bit of a bond. Almost buddies. A few months ago I had fallen to drugs. Just pain meds and prescriptions for my supposed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and anxiety. Those things didn't exist to hunters. But I couldn't help it after a while. I tried to be strong but eventually broke down in the middle of a stupid job interview. Doctors' appointments and many therapy sessions later I came out with dozens of prescriptions and recommendations for stress relief. One night I kept having these nightmares about that day. Everything happened again in slow motion. When I woke I went straight to the bathroom and ripped open the cabinet. I took all of the sleeping pills. Half a bottle's worth. I went to bed expecting… praying that I wouldn't wake up. But when I did, feeling healthier than I had in weeks, Cas was standing beside my bed with a scowl on his face. When I saw him I went into a crying fit, visions came flooding in. He put his hand on my forehead and sleep took me again. I hadn't seen him since.

Dean's face always haunted me. The night I got out of the hospital I told him to take me to my house. A big ranch house in the middle of nowhere, Kansas. Thanks to the fortune my relatives and distant relatives had given my family before they were all killed by demons, I lived fairly comfortably. I was the only living Everhart. As we drove up the long dirt driveway I told him.

"You have to go back to Lisa and Ben." I couldn't believe the words I said.

He looked at me, his face barely illuminated in the night. But I could see the whites of his eyes and the questioning stare he gave me. "I can't leave you,'' he said and looked back ahead. The big house loomed up in front of us. One of the lights was hardly visible from this distance. Laurel, my friend and housemate, was probably still awake.

"Dean they offer you a life," I choked back the oncoming sobs. "I have nothing to give you. Money, yes, take what you need but I can't live like we used to. You shouldn't either.''

He stopped the car in front of the porch. The light by the door turned on upon sensing the movement. My home awaited me and all I wanted to do was make this quick and painless as possible for the both of us.

"You love her," I continued, finally letting a tear break free and fall down my cheek. The air in the Impala got cold. I tugged the sleeves of my woolen sweater over my palms. "You love Ben. The hunting game is over and done now. It's time for us to live."

"I can't believe you,'' he gazed making me shy and look away. "You know I love you, Willa.''

I desperately tried to mute the crying but it was no use. "I can't be a person that you love, Dean. Everyone I know gets hurt or killed. I do love you. But that's something we can't afford. We've wasted too much of our lives hunting and killing. It has to stop.'' I grabbed the duffle bag at my feet and opened the door, slamming it hard behind me.

Almost the second I did so Dean opened his door and ran in front of me, turning and looking down at me. "Don't do this,'' his voice and eyes pleaded.

"If you need anything just ask Laurel,'' I said emotionlessly and brushed his shoulder aside to move past him. I jogged up the stone steps to the white door. When I grabbed the doorknob I heard his voice for one final time.

"I need you,'' he said, wavering. I turned and saw tears in his green eyes, spilling down his perfect face.

"Goodbye Dean,'' I opened the door and stepped inside. When I closed it behind me I leaned on it for support. I heard the door of the Impala slam shut and the engine start. That's when I broke down.

Laurel came running down the hall and wrapped me in her arms no questions asked. I thought that would be the last time I would ever see Dean Winchester. I was terribly wrong.

**_Hello! SkyQueen1111 here. I really hope whoever is reading enjoyed it. I promise that future chapters will be way longer and a lot more detailed than this. I'm just experimenting right now. Reviews are more than welcome, I need pointers and tips. I would also love to hear what you would want to see for this story. It's still a fresh new piece but help and suggestions are appreciated. Thank you so much! _**


	2. Chapter 2

**WILLA**

I walked slowly through the back door of the diner, head hung low and solemn. The medication I had been taken often caused me to appear more gloomy and tired. I tucked a loose strand of blond hair behind my ear and kept my head down as I went to the employee's bathroom. Luckily I had the morning shift and no one but Chef and Laurel were here. The early morning also gave me an excuse for looking like utter shit.

I was fortunate when Laurel got me the job here. God knows I didn't need it. With the money that was left for me I could be dining at a five star restaurant every night of my life. But I wanted to get a job. To keep me from sitting on my ass all day and feeling sorry for myself. Being a waitress here helped with the depression. It got my mind off of my old life.

I closed and locked the bathroom door behind me and set my bag down. Opening it I pulled out the short yellow dress that served as my uniform. I undressed and threw it on with a white apron tied around my hips. I changed out of my cowboy boots and into a pair of white tennis shoes that always made my feet look small. Hastily throwing my clothes in the bag I stood and looked in the mirror. The dark bags under my eyes were almost gone. The shadows still lingered. At least now I wouldn't scare the customers or make them think I was being abused.

I fixed my ponytail and forced a smile on my face. "Buck up, Will. Today could be the best day of your life.''

After leaving my bag next to Laurel's in the back room I walked through the door into the kitchen. Chef's large form moved gracefully around the kitchen, flipping pancakes, bacon, and other foods on the grill while his assistant struggled to work around him. The poor kid just started his second week here and he's already been yelled at a dozen times for making mistakes. Chef was a nice man but we all knew not to get in his way.

"Morning,'' I said in a mellow tone.

Chef, bumping into the assistant behind him and giving him a furious look, turned to me and smiled a kind white grin. "Good morning.''

I gave him a tired smirk and headed through the next door to the front of the diner. Laurel, dressed in the same uniform as mine and wearing her long brown hair in a bun, poured coffee for an older looking man and headed over behind the counter. I pulled my notepad and pencil out of my apron pocket.

"You feeling ok today?" Laurel asked barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine,'' I tell her. She gave me a bullshit look and went off to take a woman's order. Laurel's known about my hunting past with the Winchesters for as long as I've actually been hunting with them. I've known her since freshmen year in high school. Eleven years to be exact.

The morning passed normally and relatively easygoing. My usual headache decided not to show up today. The diner has always been popular here. It was constantly full. Once someone left another would take their place. I liked it like that. I could get caught up in chatting to some of the regulars and introducing myself with a friendly fake smile to others.

By around 2:00 in the afternoon the bell at the door chimed annoyingly as it usually did. I didn't look up from wiping the top of the only empty table. I could hear Laurel directing the customer over so I made it quick and walked back to the main counter.

"Willa, can you get this one?'' Laurel said as she passed by.

"Sure thing,'' I replied and smirked at her as she headed over to take care of another person.

Taking out my notepad and pencil I mindlessly worked my way over to stand at the table and followed the same old script. "Hi, what can I get for you?'' I asked as politely as I could.

"Willa,'' a gruff voice said quietly.

When I looked up I nearly fainted. _Dean_, I thought. He wore a dark green flannel and a grey t shirt underneath. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. There was nothing special about the way he looked. It was just Dean Winchester. The same man I told to leave and go live a life I could never give him. He looked as shocked as I probably did.

Across from him was… _Sam_. He looked the same too. A grey plaid shirt under a brown jacket. He looked a little older and maybe even taller. He stared at me to with a more blank expression than Dean.

The three of us just stayed there. Them staring at me and me staring wickedly between the two of them. Some old sixties tune played overhead on the radio, mixing with the clatter of plates and people talking.

A minute passed and I couldn't take the sight of them any longer. It was beginning to make my heart race and blood boil. I felt like throwing up right then and there. I started panting lightly to hold back the oncoming anxiety attack. Their faces brought the images back to my head. _They're not real_, I told myself.

I started shaking my head, eyes wide. While backing away from them. The boys looked concerned. Dean made a move to stand up. I backed into a woman getting out of her seat. I jumped from the startle and made the woman drop her plates. They crashed to the floor at my feet.

"I'm sorry," I gasped and ran through the kitchen door.

"Willa!" I heard Dean and Laurel yell from behind me. I ignored them and bolted to grab my bag and head through the back door. I scrambled through the bag and tore out the keys to the grey SUV waiting in front of me. I hastily opened the door and practically threw myself into the driver's seat. I didn't wait another second, putting the key into the ignition and speeding onto the road. A car honked at me when I almost swerved into it. I hyperventilated and kept my hands firm on the leather steering wheel to gain more control.

There's no way. Dean and … Sam, they couldn't be here. Sam's dead. Dean told me he jumped into the pit with Adam. _Dean_. The way he looked at me back there. Like I was a memory he had just recovered, a lost relic to him. I hated how neither of them said anything. The bastards just let me stand there in complete shock and … terror. They were almost like monsters to me. Dean for going to live a life that I told him to live. That was something he couldn't help. It's my fault that he was a stranger now. Sam. Someone who actually died and fell into the cage. There's no way. It's not like Cas had the power to bring him back like he did with Dean. I checked the mirrors frantically to see if the familiar Impala would be following me. Nothing. I was completely alone when I turned onto the dirt road that lead home.

They could be shape shifters, I thought. Or maybe demons. Sam probably. But Dean's still alive. Or was the last time I saw him. The thought of the older Winchester dying in the time we hadn't seen each other forced tears from my eyes.

''Oh God," I sobbed pathetically. "It's not them. It's not them.'' I slammed my palms on the steering wheel. "Sam's dead. Dean's gone."

I turned the truck left onto the long driveway. From the road you couldn't see the house from behind the trees. Blindly I followed the gravel drive.

_If that Sam thing is a demon and Dean is a shape shifter … Oh God. Laurel is still there!_

I drove quickly and stopped in front of the house. Pulling out my phone I called Laurel's cell as fast as I could.

"Willa, what the hell?" she answered.

I sighed heavily in relief but it didn't yield my crying. "You saw them?'' I asked.

"Of course I did,'' Laurel said. "They said they needed to see you that's why I asked you to take their table.''

"Why would you do that?'' I choked. "You know Sam is dead.'' I almost couldn't say the words out loud. "Dean is gone, he would never come back.''

I heard her sigh on the other end. "I'm sorry,'' she admitted.

"Are they still there?"

"No, they left right after you did."

"Listen, Laurel. It's not Sam and Dean.'' I got out of the truck and made my way up the front steps. Gem, my dapple grey gelding, whinnied at me from the pen beside the driveway. I dropped my bag and made my way over to the fence as Laurel spoke.

"It's Dean, I swear to you.''

"How do you even know?" I stroked Gem's forehead. He nickered softly and moved away, walking towards the remains of the hay bale I had left out this morning. "What about Sam? There's no way it's him.'' I wiped the drying tears off my cheeks.

"Listen, clam down. I'm on my way home."

"Is anyone following you?'' I asked quickly before she could say anything else. I ran up the steps to the front door, two at a time. I swooped up my bag and went inside, hitching and twisting the three locks we kept for emergencies. I pressed the four digit code on the security system panel and a little beep sounded while the screen flashed green and read "ARMED''.

"No. No one is following. Listen to me,'' she started. "I've been keeping in contact with Dean.''

I leaned against the door pressing my back to it. The knot from the back of my apron dug into my spine. "What?" I whispered.

"He had my number for emergencies. The day after he left he called. To check up on you, Willa," she answered sternly. "He cares about you. He's called every week since then. I practically had to beg him not to show up when you went downhill with the … medication."

"You lied to me.'' I slid down to the floor.

"I never lied to you, Will. I just never told you the truth."

I scoffed at that. She had a good point. I never dared ask about Dean. I didn't ask so she never had to answer. She was probably trying to protect both Dean and I.

I stood up and dragged myself up the dark oak staircase right beside the door. One hand on the railing and the other still holding the phone to my ear.

"I understand," I moved down the wide and spacious upstairs hallway. At midday it was fully lighted by the full length window at the end. It took up the entire wall. The actual walls were a light brown. No decorations or anything. The door on the right next to the window lead to my room. When I walked in I was welcomed by the sweet smell of trees. I had left the window open all day and the forest was just across the lawn. I kicked off my shoes and went to the dresser.

"Hello?" I lifted the phone slightly closer to my mouth.

"Uh, yeah I'm here,'' my friend responded. "I have to go, but I'll be home in about twenty minutes. I'm going to pick up some food. Bye,'' she said rather quickly.

I hit the 'End' button on the phone and set it down on the white dresser. Almost everything in my room was white, save for the wood floor, pictures, and random jewelry. My desk beneath the window was dark spruce with a simple chair tucked under it. My habitat was nice and open with two big windows above the head of the queen sized bed and the desk. I had a decent view of the field where Gem grazed all day.

I had changed into a pair of skinny blue jeans and a tight grey long sleeved shirt. I went into the finished basement and ripped the cushions off of the leather couch. Beneath was a metal lid. I lifted it and revealed piles of weapons. Shotguns, sawed shotguns, knives, flasks and grenades filled with holy water, several pistols, and a sniper rifle. I pulled out a knife, a flask of holy water, and a pistol. I dug around for a little wooden box. Inside were about a dozen silver bullets. Even if it was Dean, Laurel could have been tricked today. He could still be with Lisa and Ben right now. Who knows what Sam is? Did a person have to be alive for a shape shifter to take their form?

I took a few of the bullets, trusting that I could make the shot. I was always good with guns. The bullets were loaded into the chamber, the safety was taken off, the flask tucked into my back pocket, and the knife was hidden in a sheath around my ankle. I ran up the stairs after the couch was reassembled, no trace that I had gone into it in the first place. I sent Laurel a quick text saying that the alarm was set up. She would have to knock on the door.

I waited anxiously for my friend to arrive. It had been more than twenty minutes. More like a few hours. It already started to get dark out. Whoever those men were in the diner, they were there for a reason. If it was me they were after then they wouldn't give up so easily. Especially if they were demons. I quit my pacing in the front hall to retrieve a bag of salt from the kitchen. Just as I dragged it to the front foyer the doorbell rang.

Slowly and cautiously I unlocked the locks and disabled the alarm system. Pulling my gun out with one hand I opened the door with the other. I swung it open and placed the free hand on the bottom of the weapon for support. Laurel strode in carelessly and threw her coat on the bannister. I backed silently into the living room about to lower the gun.

Behind her came in two tall figures. My pulse quickened immediately. I brought the gun right back up and let my finger hover over the trigger. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and my breathing became heavier. I felt like an animal about to attack. The tall figure closed the door behind him. Laurel reached up and flipped the light switch by the archway to the living room. I tensed even more when the bright light exposed the four of us.

"Jesus!" Laurel screamed and placed and hand over her chest.

The two men that looked like Dean and Sam turned and jumped when they saw me. My blue eyes widened when Dean stared right into them. His presence alone felt like Dean. Not some eerie feeling a monster would radiate.

"Whoa,'' he raised his hands and leaned back a little.

Sam did the same when he seemed to have recognized me. The three of them stood there at my gunpoint almost as if awaiting orders.

The flashes of memories came back. I couldn't control it. _I saw Sam standing over me, choking the life from me. My face felt like it was going to explode. Sam again, beating his brother to death. Beating the man I used to love._

I lowered the gun, too weak to keep it up. I felt like crying again and I did. Just letting the water from my eyes free fall. Dean relaxed and cautiously stepped closer. Closer until we were face to face. I looked away completely ashamed. I knew it was him. I could smell him now. The musky scent of sweat and another smell I could only say was Dean himself. It flooded my nose and I instantly felt at peace. I prepared for him to ambush me with a hug. But he slowly extended his hand and gently took the gun from mine. Before he came I wouldn't have let him. I would have been brainwashed, thinking he was a monster that I needed to kill.

"Sorry,'' Sam said from behind Dean. I glanced and saw the apologetic look on his face. _Sammy_, I thought.

"Sam,'' I whispered and pushed carefully past Dean. The contact of our shoulders sent a shock through me but I forced myself to ignore it. Sam embraced me in a tight and comfortable hug.

"How the hell?" I asked smiling. It looked like Sam. Felt like him. He didn't give off any kind of bad feeling.

"I don't know,'' he said pulling back. I gazed up at him pushing away the memories.

"Welcome back.'' I avoided Dean's gaze and gestured for the boys and Laurel to follow me to the kitchen. Laurel had brought a couple bags of take out. She set them on the counter and lazily untied her apron, setting it down on one of the large marble counters. Everything in this kitchen was a basic oak wood, from the cupboards to the countertops, save for the old stove and white fridge. The walls were a pale green colour, giving the room a light look. It looked like any other ranch house kitchen.

The boys stiffly sat on two of the five stools at the island. Laurel opened the paper bags and set out all of the food. Mostly a dozen burgers and fries along with bottles of Cola.

I was starting to feel better now. Not stressed or depressed or anything. The boy's presence brought a shred of comfort even though every second I was fighting the pain and the past. Dean eagerly started eating while Sam immediately followed suit. I took one of the burgers and pulled a stool out to sit at the end of the island. Laurel took a seat at the other end. We exchanged glances. She knew that I wasn't feeling okay. The PTSD and anxiety were starting to remind me that they were a part of my life now.

"Will,'' Dean leaned forward to peer at me around his brother. "You feeling ok?''

That's the second time someone has asked me that today. "I'm …fine,'' I said dryly. Sam and Laurel looked at me to. I felt so on the spot. I took my burger and stood up. "I need some air.'' I walked out of the kitchen, my shoes made an echo in the hall until I opened the door and stepped out.

The cold night air soothed my bones and shaking nerves. It was like a friend telling me it was ok. I took small bites of my burger as I went to the paddock. The moon shone down giving enough light to see Gem. He grazed serenely in the middle of the field. I swallowed a bite of the food and whistled. The horse perked his ears up and hesitated. Soon he came trotting over to where I stood. He put his head over the fence and let me brush his neck for a few seconds.

"Come on. Let's go inside.'' I started alongside the fence finishing off the burger and crumpling up the wrapper. Gem followed on the other side, knowing that I would feed him as soon as I got him inside.

The barn sat right at the end of the drive, beside the field. I untied the lead rope and halter from the gate and loosely put the halter over Gem's head. He followed quietly into the barn. I turned on the dim lights and directed my horse to the only stall on the other side of the building. The stall took up half the barn. More like a small pen. The other half I used for tack and grooming.

After I had fed and groomed Gem I went to turn off the lights and head back to the house. Dean almost walked by the doorway. I froze when I saw him. He stopped suddenly when he realized that I was inside. He looked around the interior and put his hands in his jacket pockets while he walked in.

"We need to talk,'' he gave me a dead serious look.

"I don't … think that's a good idea,'' I hesitated, hating myself for sounding scared in front of him.

"We need to talk now.'' He stepped closer, leaving about five feet between us. "I need answers,'' he demanded.

"I thought Laurel-,'' I started but he cut me off sharply.

"I need to hear it from you. What happened to you after I left?''

I took a terrified breath. I never thought I would be in this situation. I knew that Dean would ask questions if we ever saw each other again. I just made myself believe that we wouldn't.

"You want me to give you a list or just get to the point?" I put whatever shield I had up. I don't want him breaking my defences and seeing the mental mess I had been.

"You got PTSD?'' Dean saying it with his deep and steady voice sounded so weird. He blinked when he said it as if it was an odd thing to say or he couldn't believe it.

"I'm over it,'' I lied. "Therapy's done with and I have no need for meds anymore. I'm a clean slate.'' I tucked my hair behind my ears.

"Don't bullshit me.'' He stepped a little closer. "You shunned me but I never stopped caring about you, Will. I loved you. I still do.''

His words stung. I thought a man like him would move on. He loved Lisa and her son, Ben. I should be nothing to him. Maybe that's just the way I think.

"I regret it,'' I said through painfully clenched teeth. I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn't want to talk about the PTSD right now. "I didn't want you to go but I thought it was best. I'd rather die than see you get hurt, Dean. That's why I said what I said. You have a family."

"Will, you are my family. You and Sammy.'' Dean steps face to face with me. I had to look up at him. He rested his hands on my shoulders and peered into my eyes, nearly touching my soul.

"No chick flick moments," I warned him. Suddenly I felt a little like my old self. I cracked a sly smile actually meaning it. I just wanted to get out of this confrontation.

Dean scoffed and pulled me into a tense hug. "I know there's more that you have to say.'' He stroked my hair lightly as he spoke. "Just promise you'll tell me eventually."

"Ok,'' I stepped away and walked towards the door. Dean followed lowering his head as he strode outside the barn. I turned off the light and met his eyes. I wasn't completely comfortable yet. I regretted saying everything I had said to him. He probably thought I was some sick bird about to break her wings at any moment. But somehow I could always fly away. "I tell you everything I did and you have to spill the beans on your apple pie life.''

Dean looked slightly uneasy. Or maybe it was just the moonlight playing with his features. "I never went back to Lisa,'' he admitted.

"You what?'' I asked in disbelief.

"She knows how I really feel.'' Hearing these mushy teen love words from him almost wasn't ok.

"Where did you go?" I asked. We headed up the drive side by side.

"Looks like we both need time, Will.''

I stared ahead, ashamed that I asked that question. I couldn't help but notice the dark shadow of the Impala up ahead. It looked as regal and amazing as it did before. I missed that damn car. My heart didn't want it to leave any time soon.

**Thanks for reading this new chapter! I promise that future chapters will be a lot more detailed and longer. I said that in the ending note of the first chapter but it will happen. I'm just getting used to writing this story and starting it off decently. Please ask any questions you have in the reviews and I will definitely answer them in the ending notes of future chapters. Thank you to anyone who followed and decided to tag along with this story. You guys are awesome!**


	3. Chapter 3

''Siren Song'' - Bat For Lashes

…

The yellow morning sunlight shone through the windows of my room. The brightness woke me from my peaceful slumber. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept straight through the night. Other than when I had taken all those pills. But I was rudely interrupted by that stupid angel. For minutes I just lay there, replaying the night's events in my head. Seeing the Winchesters again, Sam standing before me, alive and real. Dean nearly forcing me to talk to him in the barn. The faint smile on my lips faded when I remembered that. It had been so awkward and scary. I didn't want to leap into his arms and beg him to forgive me. I thought about it but I didn't dare. When he said that he never went back to Lisa and Ben it made my chest feel lighter. It's a selfish thing to admit. I never wanted him to go to them. Lisa was a beautiful and kind woman. Ben was the sweetest kid from what I remember but I'm glad Dean didn't go. All that we've been through for the past years, all the pain we both endured, we always had each other's comfort. The time when we had lost the one thing that gave us hope for the future was a traumatic experience we never talked about again. That's what severed our bond. It lead to Dean visiting Lisa more often. I never wanted him to but I knew he needed consolation when I refused to give it to him. Whether he actually loved her the entire time I don't know.

I stretched my arms into the air and leaned back on the pillow. My blonde hair fanned out against it. Letting out a tiny grunt I swung myself up and let my feet hover over the floor before standing. I twisted slowly, listening for my back to crack and pop. After throwing on black jeans and a blue fitted sweater, I brushed my hair watching it fall naturally into its slightly wavy form. Taking my time, I applied eyeliner and mascara like usual. I never liked putting on anything else. I had no need to cover up my fair skin with foundation. The result always ended up in acne covering my chin and forehead anyway.

I sloppily made the bed and sat on the edge while pulling on my western riding boots. I thought about going for a hack on Gem to clear my head then I remembered that I had guests. Should I even call them guests? Sam and Dean were practically family. I just had to get used to that feeling again.

A sharp rasp came from the bedroom door. I whipped my head up and ran over to it expecting it to be Laurel. Swinging the door open I saw Dean. My eyes widened slightly. I thought he would try to keep his distance for a while. But there he was, leaning on the doorframe comfortably wearing a dark red shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue jeans. He didn't bother with shoes like me.

"Afternoon,'' he greeted politely flashing a cocky side smirk.

"Afternoon?'' I asked casually.

He huffed in a short laugh. "You slept in till…'' he paused to check his watch. "Two." The corner of his mouth twitched up into a cocky smile.

I sighed and gently tapped my head on the side of the door I still held open. I never sleep in. I was always up at seven am every day no matter how late I stayed up.

"Sorry," I apologised even though I didn't really need to. I wasn't working today or anything. The boys have been here before, they know the place. I didn't need to be a host when they were here. Actually, in the hunting days this was pretty much their home other than cheap motels and Bobby's place. They even have their own rooms. Since they were gone I hadn't even opened the doors, forgetting what they even looked like.

"Can we talk?" Dean stopped leaning and stood tall in front of me.

"Again?'' I asked. He could hear the uneasiness in my voice because he confidently took my hand in his. I felt strange but … warm and soothing. It was a different type of feeling all on its own. A feeling that I missed.

"I'm sorry, Will,'' he tilted his head down to get an easier gaze at me. He still gripped my hand tightly, almost as if holding it together like it might fall apart. "But there's a reason that Sam and I came here.''

"I figured.'' I stepped forward forcing Dean back. I closed the door and leaned against it. _Maybe I should have invited him in_, I thought to myself. _No. That_ _environment_ _is too sensitive between us._ _Especially now. He's back, you're forgiven. Don't ruin it._ I knew better than the shatter the already ruptured glass. It was just trying to forge itself again. "Why did you come back?''

He let go of my hand. I took it back and shyly grabbed my other arm with it. "I was at Bobby's when he showed up,'' Dean started. I looked at him with furrowed brows, urging him to keep going. "It was so normal. Just knocked on the door and walked right in."

"What did he say?" I questioned.

Dean seemed cool and collected. He didn't move under the pressure of explaining. "He drank salted holy water and even fucking cut his arm. He's perfectly human, Willa. But neither of us knows how he got out of that cage.''

"What did Bobby have to say about it?"

"He had plenty of questions, that's for sure. But he's just happy to see the kid again.'' Dean smiled a little. I remained with a slight scowl, trying to wrap my head around this. "That's not it. He said that he'd been here about a year. It's like he got out the day after everything happened.''

"I thought it had been longer than that,'' I whispered distantly looking straight ahead at Dean's chest.

"Willa,'' he got my attention. "Focus.''

"Sorry. Side effect.''

"Of-'' he started. "Never mind. Sam… he's… he's been hunting this whole time.''

The thought of hunting made me shiver. Can't tell if it was a scary feeling or anticipation. "So why would he leave us out of this?" I asked.

"I don't know, Will. It's Sam. He probably just wanted us to live. Actual lives or whatever.''

"Some life,'' I scoffed. "I don't know how much fun you've been having but my time was pathetic.''

Dean paused a moment. I hadn't realised that I had changed the subject. "You could have called,'' he whispered.

I looked him dead in the eye with my jaw set. I knew I was going to regret anything that I said. My heart leapt in faith. "I didn't want to hurt you again.''

Dean huffed and took a step back. The air I was breathing suddenly became cold from his missing body heat. Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes for a second. I wanted desperately to fix what we had. The thought terrified me and probably Dean, too.

"Listen,'' he began. I opened my eyes to listen. My mood suddenly turned irritated at the one word he said. It usually meant a lecture was incoming. "I'm not saying we need to go to counselling or whatever. Bobby, Sam, and Laurel said you should talk to someone but I sure as hell am not sending you to some shrink.''

I opened my mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted. "Talk to me, Willa,'' Dean came close. "I don't want to rebuild anything with you unless you want to.'' His eyes bore into my flesh. Goosebumps rose on my arms when his deep breathing grazed the skin of my neck and chest. He was so close now. "First you have to know that I will never leave when you need me. You are my family. I will not pressure you into anything. But I'm here and I'm not giving up.''

Tears pricked my eyes. I smiled up at him sheepishly. Dean returned it with a hopeful spark about him. The very fact that he was willing to wait and forgive me made my heart flutter like the first time we had kissed. It was the same feeling.

"I have to go downstairs," I said, trying to wean myself off of the urge to pull him into a hug. "Gotta go take my pills."

Dean backed off before we started making our way down the hall. I swaggered lazily, making it look like I was ok with everything.

"What are you taking now?'' Dean asked. Most people probably would have found it offensive that he said it so easily.

"Um… You know. A couple anti-depressants a day. The usual lately.'' I said it like a joke. Why? Now he'll think that I don't take anything seriously. Hopping down the stairs with a slight spring to my step I noticed the concerned look on Dean's face. "It's nothing,'' I tried to assure him. "It's a lot better than what it used to be.''

We entered the kitchen and I made a fast walk over to the coffee maker almost urgently. Turning it on and seeing the red light signifying that it was heating up, I turned around and watched Dean settle himself on one of the island stools. He looked so stiff now, maybe just cautious. I think by now my meltdowns are over. I just need to realise that, yes, Dean and Sam are back. Dean is still my friend. The past is in the past and all I want now is for them to stay a while.

"I'm just glad you're better,'' he smiled.

I smirked back and returned my focus to the coffee maker after I heard it click. "So…" I made my coffee and sat across from Dean. "What now?'' I had a sudden itch on my back. It felt like it was right below my original tattoo, the one that hid me from Azazel all those years ago. I struggled to find the spot in the center of my spine.

Dean looked at his hands and answered. "Sam's got some people he wants us to meet. We don't have to go for a couple days though.''

I could hardly focus on what he was saying. My face scrunched up as I struggled more and more to ease this itch. Only when it had started to whine in pain I said something. "Jesus Christ.'' I got up frantically and ran to the doorframe behind Dean. His eyes followed me curiously. The pain was almost like tiny needles slowly moving themselves into and dragging across my skin.

"Willa?'' Dean got up.

"It's nothing,'' I said quickly. I moved my back on the wall to try and rid myself of the irritation. It just continued to get worse. It was agonisingly slow. "Ow,'' I grunted and looked at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Dean more or less demanded.

I gave in and got off the wall, lifting the hem of my sweater without a second thought. It left me in a simple black bra. Dean stared and raised his brows.

"Something's definitely wrong,'' I kept trying to reach the spot but couldn't manage.

"Turn around,'' Dean ordered while stepping towards me.

The cool air of the kitchen made it sting even more. Tears even started to sting my eyes. I clenched my teeth to stop a cry. Dean gently held my hips. If I wasn't in so much pain I could focus on the heat that pulsed from the contact. He moved my hair over my shoulder gingerly while I dug my nails into the painted drywall.

"What is happening?" I groaned. It felt hot now. Burning, even. Like a branding iron. I didn't stop the scream that escaped my throat when Dean brushed his fingers over the area.

"Sorry,'' he immediately apologised. "And I'm sorry for saying this but the bra strap is kind of in the way."

"Just take it off!" I yelled.

I felt a tightening in the strap and a sudden release. I pinned my upper arms to my sides to prevent the whole thing from coming off. My nails still dug mercilessly into the wall.

"Oh my God,'' Dean whispered.

The pain had died down to a slight burning and vibrating sensation. It still bothered like a bitch. "What the hell, Dean?'' I tried not to move.

"Stay still,'' he said.

I looked over my shoulder and saw him pull out his phone. I hadn't noticed that my breathing had become rapid. My heart mirrored it exactly and sweat beaded on my forehead, dripping down my temples.

Dean held up the phone and tapped the screen. A loud click sounded and he put it on the table. He stared at my back for a moment and met my gaze. "Hold on,'' he said.

I felt alright enough to cross my arms over my chest, holding the bra in place. After that whole scene the last thing I want is for Dean to see me half naked. I slumped down on one of the stools and watched as Dean opened the freezer door and pulled out an ice pack. He crushed it between his hands and made his way back over to me. I looked forward and braced myself for the cold shock on the burning area. Dean pressed on it making my stomach clench to keep my balance. He grabbed one of the bra straps with one hand while holding the pack with the other. His fingers brushed mine and I pulled away. When he grabbed the other strap I had both my hands free. Dean hooked the lace back together, leaving the ice pack held in place. He picked my sweater off of the ground and put it in my lap. I left it there.

''So what the actual fuck just happened?'' I broke the silence. "What was the 'Oh my God' about?''

Dean scooped up his phone and tapped it a few times before handing it to me. There was a crappy quality picture of my back on it. But I could see perfectly what had happened. Right below my original tattoo appeared to be a new one. It was black in colour but red and bleeding in some places like a fresh tattoo. It looked like a figure. A head and arms raised above it. The body of the figure looked like a woman kneeling. It was just a silhouette but it was clear. In the stomach area was a swirl. The whole figure was surrounded by a circle.

"Oh my God,'' I repeated Dean's words.

"How does something like that just happen?" Dean asked.

"Why now, too?'' I threw another question. "What does it even mean?'' I handed the phone back to him.

"We need to tell Sam and Laurel,'' Dean tapped more on his phone and held it up to his ear. "They went out for lunch earlier,'' he added.

I wanted to stop him and make him keep this a secret. There was no point in doing that. They would eventually find out and this was serious. A random marking just appearing on my body out of the blue? Something was damn wrong. I don't want to have to figure it out alone.

"Sam, hey,'' Dean said loudly. Phone talk always makes people speak louder than usual. "You guys need to get home.'' He looked down at me and I looked helplessly back at him. "Right now.''

Dean and I sat silently in the kitchen while we waited. I still hadn't bothered to put my shirt back on even when Dean removed the melted ice pack. It pained me when I tried so I just gave up. Dean then took his jacket off of another chair and slumped it over my shoulders. I muttered a thank you and realized that the jacket was a gesture from the past. Dean had always been a gentleman about giving me his jacket. It felt warm and comfortable even though it was just resting on me. I gazed out the large kitchen window, searching for Gem.

"Dammit," I whispered to myself. I forgot to let him out this morning. I told Laurel never to bother. Gem was the one job that I had to myself. The poor beast was stuck in the dark barn all day.

Somehow Dean, playing on his phone, overheard what I said. "Does it hurt again?" he asked and pushed my shoulder to get a look.

I visibly shivered at the touch which made him drop his hand to grip my forearm. "No, it's fine. I just forgot to let the horse out."

"Oh,'' he sounded relieved and a little disappointed. Maybe like he wanted to do something to help. As if inspecting and icing the wound wasn't enough.

"How does it look?'' I said, giving him a slightly hopeful expression. I kind of wanted him to move his hand. It just sat there on my arm. I wanted him to move it away or actually hold my hand – I don't know.

Thankfully he did move it, turning my shoulder again and slipping the jacket off. The cold air jolted me a bit. "Well, it's not bleeding anymore,'' he mentioned. "Thank God.'' He quickly added ''At least it doesn't look infected.'' He brushed a calloused thumb over it lightly. It felt like sandpaper. I straightened my back in shock and let out a groan. "Sorry – again,'' Dean sputtered. He gently put the jacket back on and leaned away.

I grabbed the collar and readjusted it more fittingly. "It's alright, Dean.'' He looked from me, purposefully avoiding eye contact. "Dean.'' I instinctively went for his hand. It felt the same. He finally looked at me. "I'm not some broken dove. I don't break easily." I gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know.'' He genuinely smiled back.

I stared uneasily at our hands. It still felt so normal. "Uh…" I started.

The loud bang of the front door made us both jump in surprise. I leaned to the left to see down the hall. Sam shook off his jacket and tossed it onto the bannister while Laurel wasted no time running towards us. Worry and concern was deeply etched across her delicate features. Sam followed behind at a fast walk.

The two of them came around and stood on the other side of the table. They both caught sight of my hand firmly held by Dean's. Laurel's face shifted to a bitchy kind of surprised. She would probably try and ask about this later – in the kindest way without trying to set off my anxiety.

I pulled my hand away weakly and shrugged off the jacket. Sam's eyebrows raised and he turned his gaze modestly while Laurel looked even more surprised while leaning on the table. "Look, Sam,'' I told him. He returned his focus reluctantly. I turned around and showed them the mark.

"Dean,'' I gestured for him to undo the strap. I pinned my arms again to keep covered up front.

He blinked out of some sort of haze and complied, careful not to touch me. "Check it out,'' he sat back down.

I craned my neck as best as I could to see the looks on their faces. Dean was worried. Sam looked shocked and confused. His mouth hung open to say something but nothing came out. Laurel, on the other hand, looked pale and scared. She covered her pink lips with a hand.

"Laurel,'' I said. Just by the look on her face I could tell that she knew something. Dean glared at her while Sam continued looking at the mark. "Laurel, what is it?'' I asked. "Tell me if you know something.'' She just stood there emotionless.

"Speak up, Laurel,'' Dean demanded. His voice boomed in the huge kitchen. "What is this thing?''

"Well – How did it happen in the first place?" she asked after letting her hand drop.

"It happened less than half an hour ago,'' I tried to explain. The ache in my neck made me turn around. I meant to pull up my sweater while keeping eye contact with Laurel. Instead, I carelessly picked up Deans jacket and covered myself with it so that the bra wouldn't slip away.

"It happened fast,'' Dean carried on, glancing between me and Laurel with a skeptical look.

"It started as an itch,'' I said. "It got worse by the second until it was this … searing pain and I couldn't stop it. This – marking thing just appeared. It felt like a tattoo from hell or something.''

"Tell me about it,'' Dean and Sam scoffed at the same time.

"You know what it is don't you?" I asked Laurel in a calm tone.

She merely nodded and said "Stay here.''

Uncomfortable minutes past after she ran downstairs. Sam leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. His forehead was creased in thought. I kept my eyes down at my feet. My arms had started shaking. Holding the jacket to my chest became a challenge. All the while I could feel Dean's heavy gaze on me. The hair on the back of my neck pricked in alert.

Laurels fast footsteps ascended the stairs and came closer. She slapped a leather book on the counter in between Dean and I. I twitched and sat up straighter. Dean did the same and leaned closer to Laurel.

"Here.'' She unfastened the strings around it and flipped through the pages. She stopped dead on a yellowed and old piece with the mark on it. It looked identical to the picture Dean had taken. It was drawn into the book in black ink. Beneath it was a couple of sentences written in a language I could hardly understand.

"Is that Gaelic?'' I asked.

"Yes,'' Laurel answered quickly. She read through it once and pointed at the words, dragging her finger across the page as she translated. "An ancient mark dating back to the original founding of the clans of Scotland, this mark was given to the women with a special purpose or job. It was considered a gift and an honor to have it. The bearer was one woman in each clan, usually the chief's wife or mate.'' She stopped there.

"What?'' I asked.

"There's one more sentence,'' Sam pointed out after walking over and peering over Laurels head.

"What does it say?'' Dean asked coldly.

Laurel slowly looked up at me. I could see the water building up in her eyes. She shook her head once and looked back down at the book. I got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"It means –'' she paused but continued. "It means fertility.''

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter. I just decided to write one more original before diving into the story of season 6. If you want to see what the tattoo looks like then feel free to head over to the tumblr account for this story: /blog/almosthardlyhuman. I post pictures and quotes as well as a bit of Willa's history and how she met the Winchesters. Please don't hesitate to ask questions in the reviews and give me pointers. I will answer all questions at the end of chapters. Thanks a ton for just plain reading this story. It means a lot! Love you! **

** \- SkyQueen1111 **


	4. Chapter 4

No one said anything. Laurel's fingers shook and hovered over the withered page. Sam backed away until I couldn't see him in the corner of my eye anymore. Dean rested his chin on a hand, holding his mouth shut. He glared sadistically at the little book. I didn't shake anymore. I froze completely still after my stomach had dropped and I started sweating again.

"Well, someone say something,'' I broke. Somehow it seemed like it bothered everyone else more than me. _Fertility_. It still shocked and terrified me. Maybe it didn't mean specifically what I thought it did.

"Just take a break,'' Sam said. When I looked at him he looked nothing but sympathetic. He knew about everything that happened too to me in the past. He was there when it happened. The short period of time that Dean and I never breathed a word of since. "Everyone just disperse,'' he crossed his arms. "Come on.'' He nodded his head in the area of the hallway telling me to follow him.

I complied silently. My legs were painfully stiff and tingly as if they we asleep the whole time. Instead of walking side by side, I trailed behind Sam's tall body. He dwarfed me big time. That's always how it's been. We turned onto the stairs and up to my room. I didn't know why he was the one escorting me like this. Usually he would give me my space. All I could really see from where I walked was his blue grey plaid shirt. I knew he would scold me or demand answers. Typical. All I could do was brace for it.

Once we stopped outside the door he turned around and looked down at me. He had an anxious kind of expression. Crossing his arms he said, "You're pregnant?"

I stared at him bewildered. "What?!" I practically yelled. "How could you think that?" My grip on the jacket tightened in fury.

"Calm down.'' He straightened his posture. He lowered his head so he no longer had to look down his nose at me.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Sam. You can't just assume something like that! You know how it is!''

"So you're not pregnant?" He brushed off my little explosion quickly. He was so arrogant I clenched my fists so I wouldn't slap him.

"No! I'm not pregnant!'' I yelled again. I didn't care if Dean and Laurel heard me from downstairs. "How dare you. I wouldn't sleep around and get knocked up just like that! Sam, do you even remember?''

Sam let out a breath. "Yes. I remember. Don't think that I wouldn't.'' He seemed to get a little angrier. "It hurt me as much as it did you guys.''

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't. You son of a bitch.'' I opened the door and slammed it behind me leaving Sam standing there.

I waited a moment leaning against the wall. My hand floated over the metal doorknob. Sam's muffled footsteps faded as he headed down the hall. At that moment I thought of Dean. I can't believe I just left him in the dust down there. What must have gone through his head? He probably thought the same thing Sam did. I'm pregnant. I knew for a cold hard fact that I was not.

* * *

"_Dean, stop,'' I said. "Dean.'' I walked faster to catch up with him. He had driven us to some random diner in a town we were passing through on our way to my house. I jogged to his side and grabbed his hand. When I stopped I pulled on his arm making him stop and look at me, puzzled. "You gotta stop dragging me around at every pit stop, man.'' _

"_Come on, Will,'' he grinned and put an arm around my shoulders. He moved a step towards the restaurant but my feet remained planted. "What is it?'' He shifted directly in front of me, only a sliver of space between us. Nothing but us and a couple cars in the deserted looking parking lot. It was so quiet I could hear his breath._

''_Other than you having a little less than eight months to live, I'm great,'' I shot sarcastically._

_Dean cocked his head. "That's why we're doing this. I want to do all I can with you before I bite it.'' He gave a cheeky smile._

_I slapped his arm. "Not funny.'' He scoffed and held eye contact. "I can't tell you here, Dean." My voice was just a whisper._

_His smirk turned quickly to a frown. "You wanna go inside?'' he asked. He gestured lazily with his thumb._

"_No. It's not something light enough to tell from across a table. We're almost home. Let's go.'' Dean nodded in agreement. We got back in the car and made our way to the farm. I could tell that the mystery of what I was going to tell him was itching. I looked at him the entire ride, as always. He kept glancing worriedly. The arrow on the dash gradually climbed the kilometers. Dean sped down the highway._

* * *

I slowly made my way over to the window across the room. Gem's nickering caught my attention. After spending the rest of the day in bed, I'd changed into a plain green long sleeve, leaving the jeans as they were. _A gentle hack might clear my head_, I thought. _Or maybe not. Haven't had to deal with any drama like this in a while. _

I spun around quickly, having made up my mind. I slid aside the closet door and reached for a big grey sweater. It was almost three sizes too big but it was my favourite. On the front was a white sketch of a horse along with one of my favourite quotes: "When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk; he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it." – William Shakespeare. I smiled to myself when I read it. A present from Laurel when I first got my horse.

I slid the hoodie over my head and straightened it out at the bottom. The damned thing was halfway down to my knees. After pushing my hair up in a ponytail I went back to the window. Gem still grazed in the same spot. I thought about turning back and going through the front door or even the kitchen door which was by far closer to the pen. But then I remembered the company. All three of them could still be down there. I locked my fingers under the window and pushed upward. The glass squeaked and inched its way to the top. I winced at how loud it was. Gem even looked up at me, mid-chew. Chunks of grass hung out of the corners of his mouth.

"Chill,'' I whispered to him. He continued to look. I swung one leg through the window and placed my foot carefully onto the overhang below. It was only about three feet in width but more than enough. For a second I sat on the windowsill, both legs now outside, the guilt I felt for everyone downstairs got to me. It was rude for me to just up and leave. To isolate myself up in my room.

I shook my head. ''Don't feel bad for them, Will,'' I told myself. "They understand.'' I stood cautiously and stuck my right arm out for balance, it felt nothing but air. The other hand I slid along the panelling as I walked down to the corner of the roof. Right below, although I couldn't see from where I stood, was the porch. Supporting the overhang was a big white column. Beside that would be the railing. That was my way down. Now that I was closer the fence of the field, Gem walked over, swaying his head in a swaggering way. I sat down and got to my hands and knees. I slid over the edge and froze when I couldn't feel the railing. I slipped down farther, swinging my feet until I kicked the wood with the tip of my boot.

After I crouched from the railing and jumped to the ground, I jogged over to the fence. I prayed that no one inside saw. I forgot that the porch was just outside the kitchen door. The thing only had a small window at the top. It was hours later though, they shouldn't still be in there. I squeezed through the fence and came face to face with Gem when I stood.

"Jesus!'' I whispered harshly. The bugger had a bad habit of doing that. Always in my face. An aggressive nuzzle, he was. "Come on.'' I tapped my boot to one of his front legs, it was a useful trick I had taught him long ago. He tucked the leg in and leaned back so that he knelt down. "There's a good man,'' I praised and rubbed his neck. I swung onto him and pushed my heel to make him stand. "Let's go, I don't want anyone to see us.'' I grabbed his mane and used my legs to steer towards the barn all the way across the field. I clicked and kicked him forward into a canter. His response was fluid and he carried me over gentle and easy.

Once inside I clipped him to a lead and threw on the western tack. Both bridle and saddle were black while the thick saddle pad was a navy blue. I lead Gem outside to the wood stump used to mount. My eyes remained on the ground though.

"He looks good.'' I jumped and looked up. Dean stood in front of Gem while I fixed the girth. He reached his hand out to let the horse sniff it before stroking his head and forelock. Dean even smiled when he rubbed his neck. I'll admit that Gem loved the guy. Out of all the people he could have had some magical soft spot for, it was Dean.

"I'm just going on the trail for an hour. Maybe longer.'' I adjusted the stirrup before standing on the stump.

"It's gonna be dark soon,'' Dean squinted up at me.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, Dean,'' I said and got into the saddle. Gem shifted over a step.

"You should be,'' he replied, all smart-ass-like. "I'll come with you.''

''Only one horse.'' I gathered my reins. "You can't walk the whole- Dean, what the-''

In one swift move, he stepped on the stump and jumped up behind me. The horse didn't flinch. Dean sat close behind me. I grabbed the horn of the saddle to turn and see him. The scowl was not hidden from my face. Dean adjusted himself and looked at me.

"No problem,'' he simply stated.

I scoffed and turned back around. "Pain in the ass,'' I commented. I squeezed Gem's side and urged him to walk. The motion made Dean lean back a bit. If I had started trotting he'd have fallen for sure. _Too bad_. He wrapped his arms around my middle. I obviously shivered at the touch.

Gem turned his neck at the command of the reins and went around the other side of the barn and onto the trail. The forest immediately enveloped us.

"Nice trick,'' Dean started. His voice was louder now that his mouth was inches from my ear. "In the, uh, field. I forgot you were so good with horses.''

I had to smile at that. "I got lucky. There's nothing else I'm really good at.'' I leaned back into Dean's chest when Gem started down a small hill. That's how close he made himself. I only went back a bit to help keep balance.

Dean chuckled. "We both know that's wrong. You're a born hunter, Will.''

"I don't consider killing a talent.''

"Alright then,'' he sighed and fixed his grip around my stomach. All it did was give me nervous knots.

If I knew anything it was to follow my gut and stop questioning myself. I moved my free hand from the saddle horn to take one of his. I wish I could have seen his face. In his eyes I wasn't healed yet. That I was still a broken piece of glass. I knew what I wanted. His presence scared the shit out of me but it still felt good.

I kept Gem at a walk and craned my neck to see Dean. He only smiled and I felt his hand tighten around mine. "I know what you want to talk about. Don't kid me, Winchester.''

"Well there's no bullshitting you.'' He looked up at the trees. The setting sun shone orange through the leaves. "I just need to know. And I know how it makes you feel to talk about it. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.''

I looked ahead at the fork in the trail. I instinctively went left as I always did. "I'm not knocked up if that's what you're thinking,'' I said monotone.

I heard him sigh lightly. In relief no doubt. "It… it wasn't-''

"Don't lie, of course it was. Sam thought the same thing. It hurt when he said it but I understand how you feel. Touchy subject, we both know.''

Dean let out a breath, I felt it against my neck. Hot and soft. "It means something though. We all know it does. Witchy voodoo stuff doesn't happen without a reason.''

"I know…. I know.'' My brows furrowed with thought. "We're gonna talk to Cas.''

"Talk to Cas? Really?'' Dean questioned. He sounded skeptical.

"Our 'Angel of the Lord' friend's gotta know something.''

"What if he doesn't?'' He was starting to get hot headed. Like how he always was.

"Then he'll find out,'' I jerked my chin beside me to silence the man. "Or I'll pluck all his damned feathers myself.''

Dean laughed and I forgot I had been holding his hand. Both of our hands were entwined in a little nest together, sitting on my upper thigh. I pulled them both across my stomach and smoothed Dean's fingers across the fabric of my sweater.

"Look, uh, the reason Sam and I came was to get you,'' he started. Obviously it didn't shock me.

"Surprise, surprise,'' I said, the sarcasm dripped from my tone.

"There are some people Sam wants us to meet. The people he's been with this whole time. Apparently they're important.''

"No shit, who the hell would take in Lucifer's vessel? Every hunter knows what he was. Those important people have to be crazy.''

"I haven't met them yet. Sam wanted to get you first. He wouldn't even tell me their names.''

"So you expect me to go with you?'' My voice turned slightly acidic. A threatening technique.

"That _was_ the plan.''

"_Was_?''

"I don't imagine you wanting to leave. To be honest I don't even want to go. I need a break.''

I turned Gem off the path and into a large field of tall grass. The trees cleared and the sky opened up. "They can come here if they're so special. I don't mind.''

''Sounds better.''

I breathed in the cooling air, tilting my head back. It fell on Dean's shoulder. I never intended that. I didn't want it to go back to normal this fast but it felt right. "Hold on,'' I said right before I tightened the reins and took them in both hands.

"You know I've only ridden a few times before, right?'' His voice sounded hilariously worried.

I laughed and kicked Gem into a canter through the grass. His beautiful neck went right into frame. It immediately felt nice and comfortable. I've never been on a horse as perfect as this one. Dean on the other hand clenched onto me with incredible strength. If it weren't for the joy I felt on horseback I would have been yelling at him to stop suffocating me. Dean even fell into the rhythm of the speed as well, no longer bouncing around. He thought I'd forgotten our trail rides together when I had the chestnut mare, Beth. In the ''few times'' he had ridden he loved it. Although he'd never admit. Beth was only a leased horse, though. Eventually she had to go home.

I heard Dean laughing behind me. I grinned and pushed Gem a little faster to the little garden area at the other side of the field. Once we slowed to a stop at the edge of the garden Dean got off first. He returned to help me off but I had beaten him too it. I dropped the reins to ground tie Gem who immediately started eating.

The garden was really just an area with shorter grass and a mess of wild purple and blue flowers. Years ago I had a gazebo built in it. The small structure stood elegantly white with a back frame. The empty spaces between the railing and the roof were filled in with screening. On hot summer nights, when I felt fearless I would bring a sleeping bag and pillow and spend the night. Dean and I often spent nights in there. The wood floor at the top of the steps was painted light blue. No furniture rested inside.

"Oh man, I remember this,'' Dean commented putting his hands on his hips. He grinned broadly at the thing.

"To think I was going to get rid of it.'' I stood beside him.

"Wait, what?'' He frowned.

"It was just a stupid old reminder.'' I inhaled deeply. ''I'm glad I didn't toss it though.''

We walked over to the screen door. I lazily picked the flowers on our way. Dean opened the door which groaned in protest. He held it open for me to walk in first. "So… what are we doing here?" He walked in after me, looking from floor to ceiling.

I raised my arms and slapped them down against the sides of my thighs. "I need you to summon Cas.''

Dean raised his brows and opened his mouth to protest.

"Please,'' I whispered. "The sooner I know what's wrong with me the better.'' Dean continued to look around for a second. "Let's get it over with, it's getting dark fast.'' The sun had disappeared now. Only traces of orange and pink proved it had fallen beyond the horizon. The rest of the sky had started to turn purple and dark blue.

"Right now?'' Dean asked.

"Now,'' I confirmed.

He sighed and his head fell down. I put my hands in the front pocket of the sweater and waited. "Castiel, we need assistance. Get your feathery ass down here.'' He looked back up at me as if awaiting the next order.

I nodded quickly and looked around. The crickets chirped away in the distance making the only notable sound. Gem had stepped closer to the gazebo, now only a few feet away from the door. His tail swished back and forth at the flies and his ears twisted from side to side.

"Dean. Willa,'' the gruff voice sounded between Dean and I. Cas stood, trench coat and all, right in front of me. He looked like a statue until he faced me instead of Dean, who walked to my side after. "I know what's happened,'' the angel started.

"Hello, Cas,'' my tone sounded bitter. I couldn't forget what he did that night I tried to off myself. I had no right to be mad. As emotionless as he seemed, he cared. That's what I thought at least.

"How've you been?'' Dean asked. It felt weird having the two of them here. Dean didn't know what I had done while Cas did. I felt uncomfortable trusting him with this secret. My heart pounded heavily.

"That's not what I'm here to talk about,'' Cas replied. He remained in his stony stance. "I came to talk to Willa.''

Dean and I exchanged confused looks. "Explain,'' I ordered.

"Don't be afraid. You've been marked by God.'' The man stared me dead in the eye. I shifted from one foot to the other. The air felt colder all of a sudden.

"Marked for what? It doesn't sound very reassuring, Pal?'' Dean spat. I knew him. He put up all his defences. To intimidate and interrogate.

* * *

"_Ok, what's up?'' Dean closed the door behind us. My home felt alien now. I've been away for so long. It looked spacious and strange. "We've driven miles without a word. What's so important, Will?'' _

_I spun slowly on my heels. He'd keep pestering like this until I'd have to say anyway. But it didn't feel right to say it like this. The man had months to live. It wasn't fair to him to keep it in the dark. Even if I did tell him, it's not like it would matter in the end. When he's dead I'll be left alone to deal with it myself._

"_Don't be mad,'' I tried to cool his blood before things got worse. The waters were about to boil, I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. "I've known about this for a while. And I didn't even tell you.'' The tears were building, desperately wanting to break loose._

_He stepped forward, closing the space between us, painfully. "Stop hiding from me,'' he whispered._

"_I'm pregnant,'' I stated._

* * *

"Cut to the chase, please.'' I was getting mad. It was like he was stalling.

Dean's arm bumped into mine softly. I looked at him but his eyes remained on the angel. Gem whickered from outside. The sky was getting dark. _We'll have to head home before we can't see anything. Goddammit, say something, you ass. _

"You play a part in an important prophecy,'' Castiel explained. "The mark means fertility as you may already know. Willa, you have a destiny to fulfill.'' He paused for a moment. "This prophecy has been in place for a year. Only now has fate commenced it.''

"Fate being God?'' I wanted to know.

"Yes. I don't question, I obey.''

"So what is the prophecy? What's her part?'' Dean asked.

"A child will be born… and they will close the gates of hell for all eternity, locking every demon on earth in it. Willa, you will bring the saviour to life.''

I backed up in shock, the unbelieving frown remained. I couldn't trust what was being asked of me. Not even asked: demanded. "So I have a baby, huh?'' I could hardly muster the words.

"Yes. The prophet saw your future. But that's not all.''

"So I have a baby to rid the world of demons?'' I asked. "I guess it'd be selfish to say no. But I can't. The answer's no, Cas.'' I wasn't going to do it. The world would stay as it was. There were ways of killing demons. We could manage as we were.

"I'm afraid you have no choice,'' he answered quickly, nearly cutting me off. "The prophecy will come true. It's been confirmed ever since the prophet saw.''

"Whoa, hold up,'' Dean cut in, raising his hands to stop further arguing. "Who the hell would the damn father be?''

"Dean, it's not you.'' The angel's voice was senseless. Like he didn't care what Dean thought. The son of a bitch just wanted to serve his beloved Lord. "His name is Isaac Marshallson. We haven't located him yet but we should by tonight.''

"What then?'' I sneered. His arrogance was getting to Dean and I both. I wanted to leave.

"We'll bring him here. Or bring you to him.''

"How dare you!'' I yelled. Gem spooked at the loudness. He trotted around to the other side of the gazebo where he continued grazing. "You can't just put us together like bunnies and expect us to screw!'' Dean winced at that. I was too enraged to care. "Who the fuck is this shithead anyway?!''

"You'll know soon enough.''

"How long have you known?'' I hissed.

Cas looked to the ground. He was definitely feeling something. Sympathy? Regret? Or was he just scared? "I've known since the prophecy was written.''

"Is that why you saved me that night?'' I almost fell apart. Crying, raging, screaming, I wouldn't have known. I forced myself to stand up straight and collect my emotions.

"No, I-"My hand raced through the air and punched his cheek. His head whipped to the side but no pain showed on his face. The pain was mine. It rushed in a dull, agonizing sensation up my arm. I screamed then groaned over it. I hunched slightly, cradling my arm to my body. Dean was beside me in and instant. An arm across my back and the other holding my whining injury.

"Get away from me,'' I grimaced.

Castiel opened his mouth to say something but closed it and vanished. Dean helped me stand up and gently pulled my hand from me. Bloodied bruises covered my knuckles. My middle and ring finger hung over, broken. The other two throbbed. Dean inspected them with care. His facial expression was blank. I couldn't read it. But from what just happened seconds before, I knew what he probably felt. Angry for sure. Shocked. Disgusted. All the things I felt, I'm sure.

"We should go back,'' I gulped. "It's dark.'' The oranges and pinks in the sky had gone. Only deep blue and purple stretched across. The stars decorated the night. Some brighter than others. Constellations I couldn't name but I wish I could.

"Let's go,'' Dean concluded. He led me out the door and around the gazebo to pick up Gem's reins. I held my wrist and watched Dean climb into the saddle first. He extended his hand to me and pulled me up behind him. One arm around his waist and the injured one limp on my thigh. He steered the horse back to the field towards the trail.

"Go ahead and canter back,'' I told him. "He knows the way.''

"You can hold on?'' Dean asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine.'' I sounded lighter. I wanted to forget the horrid meeting with that overbearing angel. "Let 'im go.''

Let him go he did. Dean held the horn with one hand and gave Gem his head with the other. The horse answered with canter back to the trail and towards home. I had no trouble holding on with one arm. Up and down the little slopes I grabbed a handful of Dean's shirt. The bumping of my hand on my leg pained with each thump. I lifted it enough so it wouldn't touch anything.

Once untacked and Gem fed in his stall, Dean and I began a slow walk back to the house. The kitchen light was turned on as well as one of the upstairs bedrooms. I watched the stars. Night time here was beautiful. It reminded me of the times when the boys and I would pull over on a dirt road. They would lean against the bumper while I laid on my back on the hood. All of us with a beer in hand, just watching and talking. It was hard not to miss.

"Remember the fireworks we set off a few years ago? Fourth of July, middle of nowhere?'' I looked at Dean with a quirky smirk on my face.

He grinned and chuckled. "How could I forget? You just had to get those stupid things before the hunt.''

"Worth it.'' I stepped up onto the porch. "We gotta do that again.'' I thought of the bright bursts of red, yellow, blue, and green. I still remembered the colours.

"It's a date.'' I smiled at Dean and opened the door. We laughed as we stepped inside. Little did we know that Sam and Laurel sat on the couch in the living room. They turned around when they heard us, Laurel giving me a sly smile. Sam smirked as well. I shot them a sarcastic frown and kicked off my boots.

I nudged Dean to follow me upstairs. We went to one of the closets in the hallway where I kept a first aid kit. "In there,'' I said. Dean pulled the big white box from the top shelf. It took both arms the carry the heavy thing.

"Jesus, what's in here?'' He huffed.

I closed the door and he followed me to my room. "The necessities.''

Once the bedroom door was closed I flicked on the light. Dean dropped the kit onto the bed and dragged the desk chair over to the edge. I sat and took off the sweater, leaving me to pull up the sleeve of the green shirt. My knuckles started to turn more purple. The little red spots stopped their bleeding. From my wrist halfway to my elbow it was pink. The entire hand looked the same.

"Goddamn,'' Dean quipped and sat on the chair, inches from my face. "It's like you were charging that punch.'' Like I'd been saving it for a while? True.

"Got a lot to be angry about I guess. I don't want to think about any of that right now. Just got my family back.''

Dean looked up from dabbing my knuckles with an alcohol wipe. He smiled and finished with the wipe. He tossed it in the kit and rummaged around for something else. What I thought was going to be a tensor bandage was a small handgun I stored at the bottom. He held it up in disbelief and looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"You know how I am, don't be surprised,'' I pointed out.

He put it back and got the bandage. "Looked like a sprained wrist and two fingers. The other two are obviously broken.'' He flipped my hand over and started wrapping from my palm. I couldn't feel a thing of pain anymore.

"That thing I asked Cas about,'' I started. I didn't want to carry on but Dean deserved to know. I wouldn't lie to him anymore. "When I mentioned him saving me…''

Dean started wrapping my wrist, done with the hand. It felt stiff. He hesitated for a second. "You don't have to say anything.''

"I want to. Months ago, I was in the thick of PTSD, depression, whatever. I took more meds than I should have. It wasn't by accident.'' I sighed. Time to let it out. ''I tried to kill myself.'' It surprised me that I didn't shed a tear then. It seemed like there was no point though. My crying time was up. There wasn't any point to it anymore. I spent a year with water on my face. Not anymore. Dean had finished wrapping the bandage and pinned it in place. He didn't utter one word, so I continued. "I guess now I know why he saved me. But regret trying though. I wish I hadn't even made the gesture. I was such a weak idiot.''

Dean took my hands in his and rested them in my lap. "I got drunk and went after a pack of werewolves by myself.'' He even smirked. "You weren't the only one. If it weren't for Bobby I'd probably be dead or one of those assholes right now. We all get that feeling that we can't make it anymore. When we think we're just done and useless. None of its ever true.''

I leaned forward and touched my forehead to his. A smile graced my lips from his words. Of course he was right. He moved a hand behind my neck and held me there. For a short moment I knew for sure what he was going to do next. We were so close. The opportunity hung in the stunted space between our faces.

"Dinner's ready,'' Laurel said and knocked quickly on the door. Dean and I chuckled and released each other.

* * *

**Hey everyone. I'm so happy to post this next chapter. To be totally honest I only started writing this a couple days ago. I know. I gave myself more than a month. Truth is, I'm so incredibly lazy. Or busy. Exams are coming up and I cannot fail. **

** So a little bit about the chapter. Yes. Prophecy. Baby. Flashbacks. I was originally going to write a story about the times before season 6 when this takes place. I thought it would be much easier to write flashbacks which are the scenes written completely in _italics _to make it a little easier. The flashbacks start way back when Dean sold his soul to a crossroad demon to bring Sam back to life. The result is Dean only having one year to live. So preggo Willa and dying Dean... more flashbacks to come.**

** I like the idea of putting a song title and the artist before the start of every chapter. I love Shinedown and this song is absolutely perfect for this chapter and the story altogether. If you know songs that should be on the chapter playlist you can review them and I will use them for future chapters. **

** Thank you for all the favorites and follows! It means a lot to me! Thank you BlackRosexxful for the reviews! Love you! **


	5. Exile on Main Street

_He stared at me, wide eyed. Mouth parted but no sound emerged. Hazel eyes darting from my face to my stomach. My heart pounded in my throat painfully as I looked but I couldn't turn away. I fought the urge desperately. I put on a mask of cool complexion and straightened my posture. This was a moment I couldn't look afraid in, God knows I was horrified of how it would turn out. _

_I stood and waited. Waited for him to snap, yell, or lash out. The worst scenarios raced through my head in an attempt to frighten me. I kept on waiting through the anticipation. It gnawed at my inside the longer Dean stared at my stomach in disbelief._

_"__Do something,'' I said through clenched teeth. Whatever fight was going to irrupt I wasn't going to let him win. I couldn't. "You're gonna be a dad, Dean. A baby. How does that make you feel?'' I sounded as if I was taunting him. All I wanted was a response. Anything that would give me a hint of what the mysterious man was thinking._

_He looked back into my eyes, my pulse skipping a beat as he did. "I'm so sorry,'' he quivered. His eyes glistened while the tears pooled and fell down his face. He ran a hand through his hair and backed up a step._

_ "__Stop,'' I demanded. "Don't you dare feel sorry, Winchester! This is not your fault!"_

_He lunged forward and grasped my arms tightly. It stung my skin and shocked me. I almost failed at keeping my composure. "Don't take me for a fucking fool, Will!'' Dean snarled. "I won't be there, I never will be!'' His voice boomed like thunder through the empty house. His face was so close to mine I could feel the intense heat of his breath. _

_ "__Dean, I want this,'' I whispered. I didn't break eye contact. He needed to hear me clearly. There would be no misunderstanding between us. "I am keeping this baby whether you like it or not.'' The maternal instinct was already kicking in. I knew since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a mother and I would not be giving up on that now. No matter how young I was. No matter what Dean had to say about it. I loved him and this baby was his, which sealed the deal for me._

_ "__It's not that, Willa,'' Dean said softly. He loosened his grip on my arms and raised a hand to brush my hair back. "I'm going to die. I can't leave you behind with something like this. How could I do that to you?''_

_ "__It's not just 'something', Dean.'' I smiled a little. ''It's our _baby_.''_

_He sniffed but smiled all the same. "I'm going to hell-''_

_ "__-and you'll be home for dinner,'' I cut him off. "We'll find a way to bring you back. There's always a way.'' I pressed my forehead against his. "You think Sam and I are gonna let you go so easily? Bobby won't stand for it. Especially when he finds out. We'll have you back before it's born.''_

_ "__Uh, how far along are you, anyway?'' He rested his hands on my hip looking down, expecting me to be showing already._

_ "__A few weeks. It's early I know, but I had this weird feeling a few days ago so I took the test right away. Took a few more like it. We'll be cutting it a little close when you get back.'' I slid my hand over his atop my abdomen._

_He took a deep breath, still getting used to it. "Yeah, just try not to go into labor the day I get back, alright?"_

_ "__Can't make any promises. At least you'll get to see me get fat,'' I joked._

_Dean chuckled, obviously enlightened with the small shred of hope I'd mustered up for him. "You'll always be beautiful.'' He kissed my forehead. "Baby Winchester. Gonna be tougher than any job we've ever taken on, I guess.''_

_I laughed but couldn't fend off the eerie feeling. Dean _was_ going to die eventually. Eight months from now. Even if we knew for sure how to bring him back, everything was uncertain. All we could do was keep our hopes up and look for a miracle. The next eight months would be more difficult with a pregnancy thrown in. What a loss it would be if my baby never got to know his or her dad. "Brace yourself,'' I said._

* * *

Two days later I found myself seated at the kitchen table again. Laurel and the boys occupied the other stools around me. "Get on with it then, Sammy,'' Dean started. We all looked to the tall man with slumped shoulders and his hands folded on the table in front of him. It was about time we had addressed the real reason Sam and Dean were here. Vacation time was over and it made me nervous. I wasn't ready to get back in the game. I thought I never would be but being close to the Whinchesters it was inevitable.

"Who are these people you mentioned?'' I asked.

Sam sat up straight and narrowed his gaze to Dean and I. "They're family, guys. I've been hunting with them since I got out. They took me in.''

"How exactly did you get out?'' Laurel questioned. This was quickly turning into some sort of interrogation. Laurel was usually the quiet one but this time she asked what we all wanted to know. Sam had been too mysterious about it. He hasn't said anything since he got here.

He shot Laurel a look to tell her to shut up but I caught it. "Answer the question, Sam. We're all thinking it.''

"I don't know.'' He clenched his fists on the table and looked at them. He seemed like he was trying to control himself or something. "I don't remember. I just woke up right back in that field. I couldn't remember anything, the fight, hurting you two.'' He looked at me and Dean with puppy dog eyes. "I can't remember anything after I woke up. But I found myself with the hunters who took me in. As we went on, travelling, hunting, I started remembering what happened that day.''

"Go on,'' Dean urged once Sam paused.

"That's why I didn't come back to you guys. I could hardly live with myself after what I did to you.'' The furrowed look on his face showed pain and regret, there was no mistaking it. My heart went out to him. He was my brother.

My eyes wandered to Dean. He looked as confused and hurt as me and Laurel. I guess Sam hadn't said anything to him during their car ride here. Imagine how uncomfortably silent that would have been.

"It wasn't your fault,'' Dean added. "For God's sake, it wasn't even you that did it. If it weren't for you that crazy son of a bitch would have killed both of us." Dean gestured over to me with his hand. "Sammy, you saved us. You saved the damn world from whatever hell Lucifer would have conjured up.''

"He's right,'' I began. I leaned my arms on the table and stared Sam dead in the eye. "We owe you our lives. I mean, who needs and goddamn angel to save the world when we have the damn Winchesters?'' I smirked at my own joke, pathetically but to lighten the mood. I didn't want Sam to feel guilty the way he did. Dean joined with a hearty chuckle and Laurel soon after. Sam smiled and looked down. "Now come on," I stood up "this feels like a damn council meeting. Let's get some food.''

"I second that,'' Dean practically hopped out of his seat.

"Here, here,'' Laurel drooled with sarcasm and walked over to my side as I stood up. She smirked and watched Dean walk out of the kitchen followed by Sam. "Explain,'' She said.

I tried to hide my smile when I answered. "I don't know what you're talking about.'' I looked down and adjusted the hem of my purple knit sweater.

Laurel walked over to the kitchen's archway to see if Dean and Sam were down the hall. The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed back to us. My friend turned back to me and put her hands on her hips. "Come on. You barely spoke a word about it to me since you rode off with him the other day. Oh, and thanks for telling me you were going to disappear like that let alone not tell me what happened between you and Dean. I already know what happened. All you have to do is admit it."

I smiled bashfully. Of course I wanted to spill my guts to my best friend but I didn't want to tell her about Cas and his prophecy until I talked to Dean about it. "What do you think happened?'' I stalled.

''Don't play that game, Willa.'' She smiled and raised her finger for a second. ''First you ride into the sunset with him. Literally. Nice touch. The day after you skipped your work shift, not that I blame you with all that's happened. I couldn't help but notice that between that time and now that you and Dean have been together a lot. Care to elaborate?''

"Ok, chill,'' I was overwhelmed how confident and insistent she was but that was who she was. She was a detective and wouldn't quit until she got the information to satisfy herself. "Yeah, we hung out, caught up. We watched movies, is that a crime?'' Laurel blinked with no surprise. "Sam was even with us when we watched movies. That's it. That's all.''

"I also couldn't help but notice you stayed up until one in the morning last night.'' She put a hand on the table and leaned on it with the other hand on her hip.

I raised my brows in shock. "How could you assume that, seriously? No, Laurel, nothing happened. We talked, nothing more.'' Talk we did. The past couple days, other than watching Godzilla movies, Dean told me stories of his hunts this past year. Nothing out of the norm, though. Werewolves, ghosts, your occasional vampire. But last night he sat at my desk on my laptop while I took pictures of the fertility symbol on my back with the mirror. We researched all we could but nothing of the prophecy came up. It was like the big man just came up with it yesterday. After that, he changed the splint on my wrist and fingers.

"You know I'm not lying,'' I told Laurel.

She winked and stood up straight. "Obviously, I know you better than anyone.''

"Ha, don't flatter yourself.''

I smiled back and linked my arm with hers to walk down the hall. Just as we exited the kitchen Dean's head popped out from behind the front door and gave us an annoyed look. "We're starving to death out here, let's go.''

"We're coming, we're coming. Hold on,'' Laurel shouted back.

* * *

It was already dark when the four of us arrived and a truck stop just outside of town. Just your average run down trucker joint with a bar and grill. But it was well known that it had the second best food in town. The best was obviously at the diner but my reluctance to eat there was clear to everyone.

"Oh my God,'' Dean stopped and parked the Impala outside. "This place better be as good as I remember.''

"Don't worry,'' I clapped a hand on his shoulder from behind him in the back seat. "It got better.''

"Brand new pool table and bar. It's great,'' Laurel chimed.

"Sounds like you've been here a lot,'' Dean smirked at her and Sam scoffed at the remark.

"I'll out drink you anyway, Winchester, and you know it,'' Laurel quipped and got out of the car.

The rest of us followed and Dean jumped ahead to open the door for us. Laurel walked in after Sam and I heard a ''you're on'' from Dean as she passed.

"I hope you know what you're doing,'' I warned Dean when I entered the bar.

"She's tiny, how good can she be?'' he said loud enough for Laurel to hear, too.

An hour later after we'd eaten Dean waved me over from the bar where he went to grab the first round of drinks for him and Laurel. I left the others at the booth and moved across the room, excusing myself through the crowd of truckers.

''You're in for a hell of a night, man,'' I said to Dean who was leaning casually against the bar. I sat down and propped up an elbow.

"You have zero faith in me,'' he noted sarcastically.

''You have no idea how much alcohol that girl can hold down.'' Dean looked at Laurel across the room and waved her and Sam over to join us.

"Are y'all talkin' about that Laurel girl?'' a voice budged in from the stool beside me.

"Hey, Dave,'' I greeted politely. "That's the girl.''

The old man sat hunched over a beer, his black and grey beard touched down to the lip of the bottle. His eyes were droopy and tired, probably because he was shit-faced but I wasn't there to judge. "Boy, you'll be on the floor before you get close to that girl's tolerance level. Believe me I know.''

I turned back to Dean and gave him a look to say ''I told you so''. He had that slight line between his eyebrows that meant he was worried. He pushed it aside and retorted with a cocky tone. "I doubt that.''

I smiled at him and gazed thoughtlessly at the menu. Laurel and Sam arrived and sat on the other side of Dean, who was still looking at me even though I could barely see him out of the corner of my eye. It was a feeling all on its own: Dean looking at me as I looked away. It sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps up my arms. But in a good way.

"Do you want a drink?'' he asked.

I broke the gaze and looked at my hands on the counter. "I don't drink anymore. Doctor said I shouldn't anyway. It doesn't do me much good these days.''

"I understand,'' he said in a soft voice. He turned and offered a drink to Laurel and the game began. Over the next few hours Sam and I played pool and darts as the other two tried their best to outdrink the other.

I turned back to Sam after watching Dean struggle to pull down whatever number beer he was on. I leaned on my pool stick and watched Sam easily pocket a ball. He stood up and felt around his pockets. He pulled out his phone and looked at it for a few seconds before glancing at me and putting it away.

"That looked quite suspicious,'' I commented. I bent over the table and shot the q ball at a green ball. It bounced off the side and rolled back to me where it dropped into the side pocked.

Sam walked around the table surveying what was left of the game. "It was them. The people I was with. We, uh… we're supposed to go meet with them."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested. But I'm curious.'' I held my gaze on him. "You said they were family. Obviously not mine, I'm not related to you. Or are you just so close to them you consider them family?''

Sam looked behind me, at Dean, probably. "Don't tell him yet, promise me.'' I nodded and stepped closer. "It's the Campbell's.''

I stared at him in disbelief but the look on his face was so sincere. "Like… your mom? Your grandfather?''

"Yeah. Come here.'' He took my arm and led me over to the corner which was only slightly less noisy than the rest of the place. "There's one other thing.'' He paused, maybe not wanting to risk telling me whatever it was. "My grandfather, Samuel… he's alive.''

My eyes widened is shock. I knew Samuel, not well, but I knew him and he knew my family. I had only seen him a short time a while back. He was a good man. "Oh my God.'' I looked away and backed up. "You're kidding.''

"Willa, I wouldn't joke about something like this. He's back. He helped me when I was brought back from the cage. I don't know how he got back though. Just like no one knows what brought me back. We need to go see them. They're staying at some abandoned place a few hours away. I was going to take Dean there first then get you but I thought you should be there, too. With him. Samuel's been asking about you. I told him about the mark on your back and he might know what it is.''

I already knew what it was though. I knew everything I needed to know about it. The information Cas gave Dean and I was enough. "Sam…'' He needed to know. Samuel couldn't help whatever this was. Sam just had hope for nothing and he had no idea. "Let's go outside.'' He followed me to the front door and out into the cool air. I crossed my arms in an attempt to keep warm and walked over to the Impala.

Sam leaned on the hood beside me. "You're not telling me something,'' he stated.

I nodded. "Yeah. When Dean and I rode off the other day we met with Cas at the gazebo.''

"What?'' He said, surprised. "I've been trying to contact him since I got out.''

"Don't ask me what that's all about. He knew exactly what the mark on my back was. All we thought was that it meant fertility or whatever. But that fucking angel was ready to give this whole speech as soon as we asked him about it.'' My anger was a spark that turned to flame when I talked about Cas.

"What'd he say?''

"It's a prophecy. Dean and I researched all we could but there's nothing… I'm supposed to be the mother of some hero that will shut the gates of hell forever. It'll destroy all evil and whatever bullshit. And if that wasn't enough, the father is some stranger I've never even heard of. Isaac Marshallson, or something. The angels have probably found him by now. Cas said they'd bring him to me or me to him. We're some guinea pigs to them.''

"I guess we both have a lot to take in, huh?'' Sam stayed cool about it, for my sake I hope. I probably couldn't deal with it if he freaked out. "There's always a way around things like this. Samuel can help. Cas is an ass sometimes but he'll help. This Isaac guy can't be too keen on the idea either. We'll figure it out. The apocalypse is over so it's not like we're on a time crunch.''

"Did I mention I broke my fingers punching the angel?'' I held up my brace with a smile for him to see.

"I was going to ask about that,'' he laughed.

We headed inside to aid two severely drunken friends into the backseat of the car and headed home. I went to the barn to feed and groom Gem before bed as Sam tucked in Dean. It was safe to say that Laurel had won. At least she could still walk up to porch steps and into the right bedroom. Sam had to practically carry a half passed out Dean who sloppily sang Juke Box Hero all the way home.

* * *

The next day Sam and I decided we should leave to meet Samuel. I got dressed quickly in dark blue skinny jeans and a grey tank with a red plaid shirt. I pulled a pair of wool socks up my calves and my boots over top. I packed my duffel bag full of clothes and headed down to the basement. I knew Dean already had a fully stocked arsenal in the trunk but having a few of my own weapons made me more comfortable. I lifted the couch cushions and the top of the weapons trunk. I pulled out two handguns and several boxes of silver and regular bullets. You never know if you're going to run into an odd werewolf or two. I grabbed a shotgun and another two boxes of bullets for that. I put the guns into a smaller duffle bag and took out a belt with several different throwing knives stocked in the holsters. Throwing it in the bag with the guns I went to close the trunk but a glistening red caught my eye.

I lifted the top up and saw my Sgian Dubh. It was a small hidden blade. It was popular in Scotland for I don't know how long. Mine was passed down to me from my father whom it was passed down from his father who lived in Scotland his whole life. My family was descended from the Macgregor clan. The knife was usually kept tucked into a boot or sock, hence the 'hidden' part. I always kept mine handy on hunts. Until about a year ago when I locked it down here with all the other weapons I thought I'd never use again.

I picked up the little knife and stared at the deep red jewel at the top of the hilt. The hilt itself was black with a swirling Celtic knot pattern. The sheath was black as well with more Celtic knots wrapping around it. I smiled at it and tucked it into my right sock. I left the hilt showing for easy access but only the red jewel peaked up above by boot.

I closed the trunk and put the couch back together. Zipping up the back I hoisted it over my shoulder and grabbed a handgun holster from a shelf. I ran up the stairs and grabbed the bag with my clothes which I left by the basement door.

"You ready?" Sam walked up beside me with his bag in hand.

"Yeah, what about Dean?'' We dropped our bags by the front door.

"He's in the kitchen on his fourth cup of coffee.'' Sam grinned and nodded his head down the hall.

I chuckled and headed in that direction. Dean sat slumped over a mug at the kitchen table. He rubbed his eyes and groaned.

"Come on, Dean-o. We gotta go.'' I slapped him on the back which made a loud clap sound from his leather jacket. He groaned even louder when I did.

"Why do we have to go so early?'' he complained.

"It's the afternoon Dean." I went over to the cupboard and took out a to-go cup and lid. Pouring the coffee in I answered, "Aren't you eager to meet the people your brother has been hunting with?''

He sighed and chugged down the rest of the coffee. I put the coffee pot back and napped the lid on the to-go cup. "You got me. Let's go,'' he lazily said. He stood up stiffly and yawned. "Oh my god, that chick can drink.''

I walked slowly past him and handed him the coffee. "You were warned.'' He took the cup and followed me to the front door where Sam leaned against the wall and stared down at his phone.

"They expecting us today?'' I asked him.

He looked up and slipped the phone back into his pocket. "Yeah. Actually they thought we were going to be there a couple days ago.''

"Sorry about that,'' I said and took my dark brown leather jacket out of the closet and threw it on. "Dean, how 'bout you get some sleep in the back seat?'' I turned around to see him drinking from the cup, looking more awake.

"Great idea,'' he chimed.

We picked up our bags and headed out the door to the impala. We stuffed our luggage in the trunk and I held then backseat door open for Dean who slid in, no comment. I closed the door and gave Sam a confident smile before I got into the passenger seat. The last thing I saw before we headed down the long drive way was Gem grazing contently in the field.

* * *

_"__Willa.''_

_I couldn't see anything. It was all black. My entire body was numb. It didn't even feel like I had a body. I was only a consciousness floating in space with no control._

_"__Willa, you have a job to do.'' It was the familiar gruff voice of Castiel. He was in my head. I needed to wake up. He had control of me._

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up! _It was a dream only I couldn't force myself to awaken. I had no arms to pinch myself. I was vulnerable. My mind was open and being tampered with. It felt like I was tied down on a table about to be tortured. I was frozen in place._

_"__You can't run, it is God's will. You have to fulfill the prophecy. All this pain and suffering will end. All the evil in the world will be gone if you do this one small deed,'' Castiel said._

_"__Get out of my head,'' I whispered. I had no strength. No strength to scream and yell at him like I wanted to. _

_"__If you don't do this willingly you will be forced and I will not be able to help you.'' I couldn't see him but his presence was heavy._

_''__Leave me alone. Get out,'' I said._

_"__Willa, please-"_

_"__Get out. Get out of my head.'' It was still a weak mumble but he heard me. I felt naked with him in my mind. I needed him gone. "Get out of my head. Get out of my head!"_

"Wake up! Willa wake up!'' My eyes flew open in panic. I sat up and gasped for air but I was restricted but something. "Calm down,'' a voice said from behind me. I took long, deep breathes and focused on my surroundings. I was still in the passenger seat of the car. It was midday Green empty fields passed outside the window. The highway ahead was empty save for a transport truck way ahead. I looked to my left. Sam was nervously glancing from me to the road ahead. The restriction holding me down was Dean. His arms were wrapped across my collar bone tightly. I couldn't turn enough to see his face but I felt his cheek pressed against the side of my head.

"I'm ok,'' I said at a normal volume. I put my hand on Dean's arms and he let go. I shifted in my seat so I could see the both of them. "He was in my head.''

''We heard,'' Dean sounded. "Who?'' He leaned forward and rested his arms on the front seat.

"It was Cas,'' I replied. "He's trying to get me to do it.'' I fixed the collar of my jacket to compose myself a little better. Dean glances at me and then Sam to warn me. "Sam knows,'' I assured him. "I told him last night. Dean nodded slowly.

Sam turned the car onto a road surrounded by trees on either side. The setting sun shone through the yellowing leaves beautifully. It cast rippling shadows as the trees swayed in the wind. "We're here,'' Sam said.

"How long was I asleep?'' I asked.

"Pretty much the whole way,'' Sam answered. He looked around and slowed the car down to enter a gravel driveway. It was hidden by bushes and trees. We pulled up alongside a couple other trucks and cars. "This is it.'' Sam put the car into park and took the key out of the ignition. "You can leave your stuff in the car.'' He got out and slammed the car door.

I looked back at Dean who shared my confused expression. Little did he know, I knew who we were seeing. Maybe it would be a nice surprise for him to see Samuel again. "Let's do this,'' I said and opened my door. Dean got out and we both followed Sam through the front door, which was broken off of half the hinges. The house looked extremely old. The walls were dark and disgusting. Small buts of graffiti appeared here and there. What looked like a white kitchen counter sat against the right wall. Large portions of the wall itself were barely covered with old plywood or sheets. In the corner of the room to our left was a low cot with a green blanket and a pillow on it. A small little table lay beside it with a lantern and books.

"Is this where you stayed?'' I asked as I took in the gross environment.

"Yeah, I know,'' Sam put his hands on his hips and looked around, too. "It's nasty.''

"Yikes,'' I commented. Dean was close beside me surveying the place as well. "So where are they?''

Sam led us through another door and room to an old archway that lead to the main area. Lit lanterns were placed on whatever surfaces there were. A table stood in the center with maps and papers on it. What made me nervous was the people lounging around the table. When we walked in, a woman stood up from her chair and stepped towards us. She had shoulder length dark hair and dark eyes.

She looked at Dean first and shook his hand. He seemed uncomfortable with the whole deal. "My God, you have delicate features for a hunter,'' the woman commented with a smile. Dean opened his mouth to say something but the woman moved to me and took my hand in both of hers and shook it. "Sam's gone on and on about you two. Good to finally meet you.'' She stepped back as Dean and I both looked at Sam for an explanation.

"Willa, Dean, this is Gwen Campbell,'' he gestured to her. He poi ted at a man standing to my left. "Christian.'' The man waved simply with two fingers. Sam pointed at another man that sat with his feet up on a table cleaning a gun with a dirty cloth. "And Mark.'' The guy looked up from his gun as if he didn't have a care in the world. He glanced at Dean then eyed me from head to heel. "Campbell,'' Sam finished.

Christian extended his hand to me and then Dean. "Camp- Campbell. Like-,'' Dean started.

"Like your mom,'' Christian said for him with a smile.

"Third cousin,'' Sam pointed at Christian. "Third cousin,'' he pointed at Gwen. He moved to Mark and said "Something something, twice removed. They grew up in the life.''

"I thought all of mom's relatives were gone,'' Dean looked at Sam unamused. "I'm sorry, it's just… how come we didn't know about any of you?''

"Cause they didn't know about you.'' We all looked to the left where the voice came from. I got knots in my stomach all of a sudden. I was nervous to see him again.

"Samuel,'' Dean said, surprise almost froze him in place.

"Come here.'' I moved back to let Samuel pull Dean into a tight embrace. It warmed my heart to see it. Samuel pulled back and locked eyes with me. I was just as shocked to see him again in person. "Oh my God,'' he whispered and trapped me in a bear hug. I didn't know him as well as Dean or Sam but he was family. I teared up as he let go and turned to the other Campbells. "Do you mind if I have a minute alone with them?'' The three of them left the room silently. The remaining four of us stood in a circle, Dean confused most of all. At least I had a warning. "A lot of resurrections in your faces,'' Samuel looked at two of us. "Take a minute.''

"This is going to take a lot more than a minute,'' Dean said.

"Can we start with how the hell this happened?'' I crossed my arms.

Samuel sighed. "We're guessing whatever pulled Sam up, pulled me down.''

"Whatever this is, you two are a part of something,'' I added.

"And you have no idea what it is,'' Dean said.

"Bingo,'' Samuel stated.

"And you have no leads?'' I asked.

Samuel nodded and Dean walked in a small circle. He seemed annoyed and shaken up. "Am I the only one here who thinks that this all just can't be… fine?'' Dean waved his hands.

"Believe me you're not,'' I held.

"Guys, I wanted to come get you but Sam was adamant about leaving you out. So we did.''

"And who thought that was a good idea?''

Sam looked me in the eye. "You needed time to heal, don't say you didn't."

I kept my mouth shut a second after. He was right, obviously. It still hurt me and Dean that Sam decided to keep this a secret from us so long.

"So how did you end up in my garage?'' Dean asked Sam. I looked between the two waiting for more information. I was left out of this entire part of the conversation.

"I was poisoned a couple days earlier, like you."

"By?'' Dean looked skeptical.

"A couple of Djin.''

"Djin?'' I asked. "Thought those were cave dwelling hermit… things. Pretty exotic.''

"Not anymore. They look like regular people, they can blend in. All they gotta to kill you is touch you. The toxins get into your system and you start seeing things. Pretty soon you OD.''

"Then how are you breathin' air?'' Asked Dean.

"Samuel had a cure,'' Sam replied.

I looked at Samuel oddly. "You had a cure for Djin poison?''

"I know a few things. Stick around, I'll show you tricks your daddy never even dreamed of.''

"Well why are they after you guys?''

"We staked one a while back. When they came after me we were certain they were going to go after you next,'' Sam remarked.

"So that's why you got us?'' I questioned. Sam nodded. "So, what now?"

"We haven't seen them since they poisoned Dean. I guess we just wait. They'll be back.''

We stood in silence for an uncomfortable few seconds. Dean and I shared a quiet argument with our eyes whether we should tell Samuel or not. It was Sam that said something when he caught what we were doing. "The other day something happened to Willa.''

Samuel looked from Sam to me with his arms crossed. "Go on,'' he insisted.

"It was like this searing hot pain on my back,'' I continued for Sam. "When we looked there was a mark, like a tattoo.'' I took off my jacket and motioned for Dean to lift my shirt up to the mark to show Samuel.

"My God,'' he commented.

Dean let my shirt down and I pulled my jacket back on. "Have you seen this before?'' He asked urgently, wanting answers right away.

"Your mother had that mark,'' Samuel said.

"Castiel said it was part of a prophecy.''

"The angel?'' Samuel questioned Dean.

"Yeah, the angel.''

"Mary had that mark.''

"She what?'' Dean blurted. Sam and I were just as amazed.

"I remember hearing her scream in pain when she got it. Then it just appeared like yours. But that was the day I died. No one else knew about it but me and her. I imagine she would have told John but he didn't know she was a hunter at the time. She must have kept it to herself all those years.'' Samuels brows furrowed in thought. "What did the angel say?''

"I'm going to be the mother of some kid that'll shut the gates of hell. Apparently it will save the world and rid it of evil. I don't want to believe it but it seems legit coming from and angel.''

"Yeah, and some jackass that we've never even heard of is the father, '' Dean sneered.

"They've probably found him by now, Dean.'' I looked at him. He just seemed pissed.

"Mary had that mark,'' Samuel started. "And she gave birth to Michael and Lucifer's vessels. The mark played a part in that prophecy."

"In this case it's good right?'' Sam said. "Shutting the gates of hell forever sounds like a sweet deal.''

"He's right,'' I chimed in. "Things don't just work out well like that. Cas must of only told us the good part to make it sound all lollypops and rainbows.''

"If that's the case, you'll have to talk to him again,'' Samuel sat down on a chair. "What are your thought on the whole thing, Willa?''

I sat on the table and mustered a cool tone. "As of right now, God can kiss my ass. Cause I'm not doing shit.''

Samuel scoffed and added "Just like your mother. Now, let's deal with this-''

"Guys!'' Mark ran into the room huffing and puffing. Gwen and Christian bolted in behind him. "The Djin are in the town. We were just there.''

I jumped off of the table. Samuel shot up and began grabbing weapons with the others. "Now's our chance,'' he said above the commotion. "That's a whole town filled with innocent people. The Djin are trying to draw us out. So, don't do anything stupid.''

I took Deans hand thoughtlessly and ran with him out to the car. Sam followed closely behind. We opened the trunk and loaded up. The sun had set quickly which would make the job more difficult in the dark. I attached the holster to my belt and put the pistol in it after I loaded. Sam and Dean geared up on either side of me. The only sounds were the loading and clanking of guns. I reached for the belt with the knives and wrapped it around my waist. Along with the storage for the knives, it had several loops for shotgun rounds which I quickly filled up and grabbed the gun. I loaded it and waited for Sam and Dean to finish. Dean slammed the trunk and we turned around to see the Campbells rushing outside fully loaded.

"Stay together once we get there,'' Samuel shouted. "And for God's sake, do not let those bastards touch you.''

At that, Dean got into the driver's seat and Sam in the passenger. I hopped in the back and propped up the shotgun beside me. "We gotta get those people out of there if we can,'' I said as Dean followed Mike and Gwen in a van in front. Samuel and Christian led the way past them.

We drove well over the speed limit to get to town. I held on to the back of the front seat and looked out of the windshield anxiously. This was the first time I've been in action in over a year. It felt exhilarating but… good. In a way. We got to town within a minute. The three vehicles parked on a subdivision street. We all got out and walked over to Samuel.

"You said they were here,'' I looked around for the Djin. I had never even seen one before.

"They were,'' Mark announced and pushed my shoulder as he passed me. God, that guy acted like an ass. "We drove down this street and saw three of them. All sitting ducks on the lawns.''

"They wanted us to see them,'' Gwen cut in.

"So where the hell did they go?'' Dean glanced around, shotgun in hand.

"If there are only a few of them maybe they won't come back now. They know they're outnumbered,'' I said.

Everyone looked around, searching for these mysterious Djin. "Sam and I should stay,'' Dean offered. "If it's us they want then we stay as bait.''

"Are you crazy?'' I leaned to him and whispered.

"Are you sure?'' Christian asked.

"We can take care of them,'' Sam assured.

"Let's roll out then,'' Samuel opened the car door and got in. He stuck his head out the window and added "We'll be on the next street over.'' The rest of them got into the car and van and drove off. Dean took the Impala's keys out of his pocked and offered them to me.

"I'm not going anywhere,'' I told him, looking at the keys. I held my shotgun ready and gave Dean a stern look.

"I need you to take the car and follow them,'' he insisted, still holding the keys out to me.

"Three Djin. Three of us. I'm ok, Dean. I'm not afraid anymore.''

He gave me a long look and sighed as he put the keys away. I went over to the Impala and leaned against the hood. Dean and Sam walked around keeping an eye out. I looked at the houses on our right. They were probably full of unsuspecting people. If we took on the Djin in the middle of the street, they could see us. They would be in danger, too, being so close to the fight. I looked to the left. It was a fenced off field with a jungle gym and swing set on the far side. The fence by the road was lined with tall maple trees. It was spooky in the dark.

"Guys,'' I got their attention. I pointed at the park and they followed the direction of my finger. "Those people in the houses, they can see us. If we move to the park, the trees will hide us. And it's better to lead the Djin away from the houses.''

I got off the car and joined the boys who took my advice and started to move towards the fence. I held Deans gun for him as he climbed over. I tossed mine and his over to him. The fence was too tall for me to climb so Sam gave me a leg up. I hopped down off the top and lost balance when I landed hard on my feet. Dean put his arm around me until I steadied myself.

"Thanks,'' I whispered and turned to grab Sam's gun so he could climb over. The three of us slowly started to make our way to the swing set and jungle gym.

"God, this is creepy,'' Dean noted.

I kept a sharp eye for anything unusual. We got to the swing set and stopped. We were far enough away from the houses now. I sat down on a swing and looked up at the full moon. It cast eerie light on the scene. I felt my pant leg down to my sock. The Sgian Dubh gave me reassurance and a small bit of confidence. It was a weapon as well as a good luck charm for me.

"Here." Sam walked over to Dean and handed him a syringe. He came over to me and gave me one. It was about half full with white liquid.

"What's this?'' I asked.

"It's the cure. Just in case.''

"Right,'' I slid it into my sock with the knife.

All of a sudden a scream sounded from behind me. I stood up with a jolt and looked ahead. All there was were more trees. The scream came again. It was a girl. I started to run towards it but stopped when Dean ran up beside me and grabbed my arm.

"It could be a trap,'' he said.

I looked on but snapped out of it when Sam grunted from behind us. A man was wrestling with him in the distance. It was a Djin.

"Sam!" Dean started running towards him. I wasn't nearly as fast so I fell behind.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur. It hit me hard from the side and tackled me to the ground. The wind was knocked out of me but I kept one thing clear in my head: don't let it touch your skin. I crawled away from the person as fast as I could and stood to face it. It was a woman. Maybe the one that screamed to get us away from Sam. She was beautiful with curly dark hair. I couldn't see much in the moonlight but when she stood she revealed tattoos that literally moved down her arms to her hands. I glanced at Sam. He was still fighting off one of them. Dean was now fighting another.

"Willa, run!" he yelled.

"Bad news," the woman started. "You're going to die. Good news: it'll be quick.'' She lunged forward.

I dodged her as quickly as I could and pulled the gun from my holster. I aimed but my arms were smacked down by a powerful force. The Djin that was fighting Dean stood right beside me. Over his shoulder I saw Dean lying on the ground.

"No!" I screamed. I whipped a knife out from my belt and slashed at the Djin. He backed up in shock. A line of blood appeared across his chest. I didn't think about what I would do next. I just stabbed him between the ribs and left him to fall dead.

The woman screamed and tackled me to the ground again before I could move. She straddled and pinned me beneath her and wrapped her hands around my neck. I could feel the painful dark veins move up my neck and to my chin. I was being poisoned and strangled at the same time. I was about to reach for the Sgian Dudh in my boot when a large sack was thrown over the woman. Her hands were wrenched off of me and the weight of her was gone from my torso completely.

I started to close my eyes when someone reached down my boot and pulled something out. I felt a prick in my thigh and pressure. I stayed in a frenzy with my eyes half closed. When I came to, Christian was kneeling beside me. He offered me his hand and pulled me up.

"Oh shit,'' I groaned. "Thank you.''

"Don't mention it.'' He put an arm around my waist and helped me walk towards the car. Sam was helping Dean ahead of us.

"Are they ok?'' I asked.

"Sam's fine. Dean had to get the cure, like you,'' Christian replied. He led me to a gate that Sam, Dean and I could have used earlier. He sat me down on the hood of the Impala as he checked my pupils with a flashlight. "You're all good. You should get some sleep.''

"Ok,'' I said and Christian walked away. I checked my phone. It was almost one in the morning.

Sam walked over with Dean who quickly swept me into an unextpected hug. I hugged him back anyway. "Are you ok?'' he asked and pulled away to hold my face and look at it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. I thought you were dead, thanks a lot.''

"I'm alright,'' he replied but looked odd. Sam got into the driver's seat.

"We'll talk later,'' I told Dean. I can only imagine the hallucinations he had. I got into the back seat as Dean got in the front. The Campbells drove off as soon as Dean and Sam got back to the car so they were already long gone. I had no idea why they left in such a hurry.

"Hell of a way to start hunting again,'' I broke the silence as Sam drove us to the nearest motel.

"You're gonna keep hunting?'' Sam looked at me through the rear-view mirror.

"Why not? It's better than working at a diner the rest of my life. I really missed it,'' I said sincerely.

"Glad you're back,'' Dean professed.

"Me, too. But we still have a lot to do. First we talk to Cas again. We need some serious answers.''

"Agreed. We can pick up a hunt here and there, live on the road again. Sam, you in?''

Sam smiled and said "Oh yeah, I'm in.''

"I never thought I'd be saying this ever again,'' I started "but that's the best idea I've heard in a while.''

* * *

**Well it looks like summer has been kicking my ass. Exams had me beat and I slept in nearly everyday. Fear not, for I have not given up on this story. I'm waiting for the right time to properly introduce Isaac which I am really excited for. You'll love him... or hate him. I really don't know yet. But it's up to you. I feel like season 6 is a fun and exciting season to follow.**

**Thank you so much for the new story followers, I love you guys!**

**Feel free to leave me a review with helpful criticism. If you want to see something happen in the story, have any suggestions, or want me to write about a certain thing let me know and it will be done eventually.**

**Thank you for reading and if you're one of those people who even reads this authors note, you are amazing.**

**-SkyQueen1111**


	6. Two and a Half Men

_I smiled uncontrollably as I lay against the soft white pillow on my bed, playing with my fingers. The thin white sheet barely kept my bare body warm but the sun shining through the window did more than enough. The sheet itself hugged my curves but only covered my torso while my shoulders and legs lay in the open sunlight. Everything about the moment was perfect. I wanted to stay there forever._

_ A hand slid over my hip from behind me and stopped when it found my stomach. I leaned back a little as Dean pulled himself over and started planting small butterfly-like kisses on my shoulder blades. I giggled in response and he continued up my neck until I turned my head slightly and met his mouth. His hand moved from my stomach up to my chin. I closed my eyes, savouring the blissful moment. He gently held me in place as his tongue explored mine for the next few seconds. When he broke away he still loomed over me just looking into my eyes. "I love you," he whispered._

_ A smiled played across my face as I quickly kissed him back and said "I love you." _

_ He settled back down beside me and slipped his hand under the sheet where his fingers grazed the soft flesh of my side. With his other arm he slid it under my neck and hooked around my shoulder blades. He pulled me against his own naked body and kept me in his muscled arms. The heat radiated off of his chest onto mine but it didn't bother me. I inched up on the pillow so my head rested right underneath his chin._

_ "I can't believe this is happening,'' I grinned. Despite the future we knew would come, we had hope that things would work out. "We're going to have a family.'' Sharing those words with Dean were special. I never thought I would say them anytime soon but he was different. The circumstances were different. But in my heart I knew everything was right._

_ "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself,'' Dean commented. He pulled away enough so that we could look at each other. I closed my eyes as he settled on the pillow. His arm moved from around my lower back across to my hip where his thumb brushed against my stomach. "This year I was so determined to live as much as I could." I opened my eyes when he paused for a while. "But I realised that I was living the whole time. I didn't know exactly what it meant until I got to know you. Ever since I met you I've been alive." I smirked up at him, humbled but more flattered about what he said. "My whole life has been on the road. I never really had a place to call home." He took his hand off my hip to rub my abdomen playfully at which I laughed lightly. "Now there's a little Bean on the way. I know where I belong.'' He grinned proudly._

_ I teared up at the end of his short speech. It meant so much to me that he felt this way. That he felt at home and this is what he wanted. To think I was so terrified to tell him in the first place. I knew now that everything would be ok. "Oh no,'' I said as I wiped away a single fallen tear. "The hormones!" I whispered in a dramatic way._

_ Dean laughed at me and added "The first of many I suppose. You know I'll be here." He kissed my forehead. "For everything.''_

_ "Wow," I commented. "That was kind of a turn on." I smirked at him._

_ Dean raised his brows and replied "Kind of?'' He grinned widely before I laughed and pushed him on his back so I could lay on top of him. The sheet no longer covered my upper body but I was firmly pressed against Dean. I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him deeply as he glided his rough but gentle hands up my back and laced his fingers through my hair._

_**Lansing, Michigan**_

Three days later Sam, Dean, and I were in our motel room going over our new case. I sat cross legged on one of the beds while Sam did his thing on his laptop and Dean flipped through papers. Once in a while I'd hover over Sam or Dean's shoulder only to be told to be patient and go sit down as they gathered the information we needed. All I heard about this new hunt was that it involved people getting murdered. A lot of our old cases did but it always made me anxious knowing that murderers were on the loose. I stared at both the boys, patting my knees restlessly.

Sam closed his laptop and gave me an exasperated look before he spoke. "Get your badge and dress nice, there's an investigation going on at a town house not too far from here."

"What happened?" I jumped off the bed and knitted my brows together.

"A couple was recently murdered,'' Sam replied while getting his suit out. "And their baby was taken."

"Jesus," I gasped.

"It isn't the first time either," Dean tossed his badge on the table. "So we need to go ask some questions."

I nodded silently and went over to my bag and got out my FBI badge. Setting it on the floor I pulled out one of the nicer outfits I had packed for this kind of occasion. I grabbed my makeup bag and clothes and headed to the washroom. I changed into a black pencil skirt and white tucked-in blouse with black heels. I opened the makeup bag at the sink and filled in my eyelids with a dark smokey grey and coloured my waterline with black eyeliner. After that I filled in a winged cat-eye look with liquid eyeliner and mascara to finish it all. For my hair I just swept it back into a neat but messy bun and left the shorter pieces at the front out. I admired my work in the mirror. _Sexy and sophisticated. Nice._

I grabbed my old clothes and unlocked the bathroom door. I caught Sam and Dean already suited up, Sam slipping his badge inside his jacket by the door and Dean fixing his tie in the little mirror on the wall. Both turned to look at me when I emerged. Sam nodded his head and I returned it. Dean in the other hand took a couple seconds longer.

Sam opened the door and said "I'll wait in the car."

When he left, Dean spoke. "You look nice." He went back to fixing his black tie in the mirror.

"Thanks," I said as I put my clothes on the bed and grabbed my badge from the floor. I didn't have any pockets on my outfit so I opted to putting it inside my blouse. I left a couple buttons open so I could access it easily. "What are you thinking did this?'' I asked as I walked over to help Dean with his tie. For some reason he couldn't get it together, odd because he usually did all this effortlessly. Maybe he was just nervous about the hunt. Again, odd, but maybe it was more for my sake than his because I had been out of it for so long. I knew he worried about me all the time, it was obvious.

"I don't know yet," he looked down at me as I undid the horrible knot he'd tied. "But it's gotta be bad if it's taking babies and killing the parents.'' He winced as I tugged sharply on the tie, overcome by a quick surge of anger.

My lips formed at thin line. I stared only at the tie as I fixed it properly. "Sorry," I mumbled. "Can't believe even a monster could do something like that, you know?" I let go of the tie and walked over to the door. "Let's go, I want to get this over with." I opened the door strode out into the sunlight towards the Impala.

Sam leaned against the passenger side door. "You ready?" he asked opening the door.

"Yeah, let's do this,'' I sighed and climbed into the backseat.

Dean closed and locked the motel door before striding over to the car. He ducked his head as he sat in the driver's seat but stopped. He looked at me through the rear view mirror and gave me a cheeky grin. "Actually," he got out and opened my door "you drive.'' He dangled the keys on a finger in front of me.

I smiled and got out, taking the keys from him. "About time," I commented in a cocky way.

He scoffed and took my place in the backseat. I sat behind the steering wheel and slammed the door shut. I pushed the key into the ignition and twisted it, hearing the satisfying roar of the Impala coming to life. Brian Johnson carelessly sang away on the radio to the tune of Dirty Deeds. I slid my hands over the wheel and breathed in with a smile. "This feels right," I chirped.

"Enjoy it," Dean huffed behind me, clearly a little upset about giving up his favourite spot but he smirked none the less. I peaked at him in the mirror to see him sitting with his feet up, leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

"Alrighty then." I checked if the coast was clear of any other cars and pulled the Impala into reverse. I cherished every moment I got to drive this car. It was one of those cars that you just felt at home in. Not to mention it gave me a kind of badass feeling. My SUV back home had nothing on this beauty.

Sam guided me to where we were going, which was a cute little neighbourhood across town. I drove slowly down the street until I spotted the yellow caution tape tied across the lawn of a nice looking grey house. A police car was seated on the road out front. I parked the Impala on the side of the street behind it. The officer was standing on the lawn talking to one of the other investigators while another disappeared into the house. Putting the car into park I took the keys out and tossed them back to Dean.

The three of us got out and walked over to the caution tape. We waited for a few seconds before the investigator talking to the officer nodded to us. The officer turned around, just noticing that we were there. He had short brown hair and wore a light grey suit and tie with his badge attached to the left collar of his jacket.

"How can I help you?" He put his hands on his hips and scanned us over skeptically. He remained on his side of the caution tape.

I took my badge out and flipped it open for him to see. "I'm Agent Carol Danvers, these are my partners." Sam and Dean flashed their badges as well as the officer grazed my hand with his when he inspected mine.

"Three agents?" He asked raising his brows. "Isn't that a little excessive?''

"With cases like this officer," I started, keeping my cool face on. "We take things very seriously." I sounded authoritative enough to make him loose his unbelieving facial expression. "Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?" I bat my eyelashes at him to put a cherry on top.

I backed up as he ducked under the caution tape and stood before me. "Go ahead,'' he waited.

I looked at Sam and Dean who had been quiet as I took things into my own hands a few seconds ago. I should have let them take over but I had an instinct for this and it kicked right in after all this time.

I nodded at Sam who stepped toward the officer and pulled a notepad and pen out of his jacket. "So where did you find the bodies?'' he began.

The officer put his hands on his hips again and looked at the house. "We found the parents upstairs. Pretty brutal."

"Break in?'' Sam wrote a few words on his notepad that I couldn't see. Dean walked over to stand beside me.

"Alarm never went off,'' the officer replied, looking more confused and sympathetic. He pulled a folded piece of paper out and handed it to me.

I unfolded it to see a picture of a baby girl. Above it read "Missing" and beneath said Emma Cooper. I instantly felt horrible for what could have happened. "Any leads on the baby?" I asked. Sam and Dean leaned over to get a look at the photo.

"None yet,'' the officer answered also looking over at the photo. He looked pained to say so.

"So what do you think?" I urged. "Do you think she's ok? Alive?" I reminded myself not to sound too quick, I had to act professional. Even though it tore me up inside knowing that an innocent baby was God knows where.

The officer sighed. "I did yesterday."

My heart sank as I gave the paper back to him. My forehead creased in worry. "Thank you, Officer. We'll do or best to find that little girl," I sounded confident for my sake and the officer's. The man seemed just as nervous and worried as we did. "You have my word.''

He nodded with a stiff smile and lifted the tape and said "Have a look around." I ducked under it as best as I could with heels on. Sam and Dean followed as I lead the way through the front door of the house.

"Excuse me,'' a man with a camera said as he brushed past me to go outside.

"Said the parents were upstairs,'' I murmured and looked up the flight of stairs.

Dean stepped forward. "You sure you wanna go up there?'' He raised his brows at me. "Sam and I can go, it's no big deal.''

I pushed past him and began up the stairs. "I'm not being left out of anything anymore," I insisted. "Especially when children go missing." I heard a pair of footsteps trailing behind me. I walked down the hallway to the open bedroom door before taking a deep breath and going in.

The bodies had already been taken out, to my relief. But the gruesome scene was still laid out before me. On the left side of the bed there were small puddles of blood on the hardwood floor. On the right side was even more blood, splattered on the walls and everything. I couldn't imagine what had happened here only a night ago. I forced myself to move forward so Sam and Dean could get in the room.

Dean pulled out an EMF reader from his jacket and flicked it on. The little red lights on the top of the grey gadget flashed to signify that it was on then they faded. Only one little red bulb flickered. As Dean moved around the room and back into the hall, Sam and I searched for sulfur or anything out of the ordinary.

"Jack shit,'' I cursed. Nothing. Not one little hint to anything we might have been able to explain. We went back downstairs and made our way to the car in defeat. Dean handed me the car keys again which I gratefully accepted.

I started the car and looked up before I started to drive. I paused seeing a sign on the front lawn of the house. "Harper Caine Security," I muttered.

"What?" Dean leaned forward from the back.

"He said that the alarm never went off,'' I sputtered out quickly, excited that I might have discovered something useful. "Call Samuel," I pushed Sam's arm. "Ask him to see if any of the other families had the same security."

Sam took out his phone quickly and dialed the number. He held it up to his ear while we all waited anxiously. "Hey, Samuel," he started. "We're on that case, yeah. Look we need you to look up Harper Caine Security. We think it might be a link to all these murders." He paused, listening to Samuel on the other end. "Yeah. Ok. Thanks." He hung up and gave me a hopeful look. "He'll call back when he finds something.''

"Ok,'' I put the car into drive and went a few streets over to the nearest diner. I was in desperate need of caffeine and we all skipped breakfast this morning doing research. I parked the Impala and took the keys out. My stomach growled loudly.

"Carol Danvers?" Dean asked behind me. Even under the stressful circumstances he tried to sound light. "Now what's that from?''

I smiled remembering my past of using female superhero names as identities during investigations. "Captain Marvel,'' I replied. "Ever heard of her?'' I got out of the car followed by the boys.

Dean got out on my side and chuckled. "Of course not. You and your nerd comics." He closed the door and walked ahead of me into the diner.

"You're really missing out man,'' I called after him.

* * *

"What if it is just a person doing this?" Dean said. I swallowed a bite of my cheeseburger and looked at him beside me. He continued to explain. "This might not be that kind of case." He looked between me and Sam hoping that we would understand.

"Maybe this is in the hands of the police, is that what you're saying?" I asked in a soft but demanding voice. "You're right. There's no evidence suggesting otherwise." Sam and Dean stared at me surprised, but I wasn't finished yet. I took a sip of my Pepsi and continued. "But we can't quit that easily. These are innocent babies you're thinking about giving up on."

Dean sighed and went back to eating his burger, knowing that as soon as I said it aloud I wasn't giving up.

"We'll give it a couple more days,'' Sam concluded. "Samuel should call back any minute." I gave him a nod and went back to eating my meal.

Sam's phone went off seconds later. "Speak o' the devil,'' I joked dryly and set down my napkin.

Sam answered with a "Hello" and listened quietly. Dean and I sat in silence until he hung up the phone a few minutes later. "You were right,'' he glanced at me. "All the families that were hit had Harper Caine Security. He dug up the client records and found another family that fit the profile."

"They could be next,'' I stammered.

Sam continued. "Six month old baby, like all the others.''

"Ok,'' Dean started. "You,'' he pointed at Sam ''drive us there. But first we need to change.''

We all hurried to pay the bill and scrambled back into the car to get back to the motel. Once there, we changed into our regular clothes. I wore black skinny jeans with my regular boots and a blue long sleeve. On our way out the door I threw on my brown leather jacket and hopped into the back of the Impala.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time we arrived at the home. I was the first to hop out of the car, immediately heading over to the trunk. After we opened it the three of us each holstered a pistol at our hips and I went in my own bag for my Sgian Dubh knife to tuck into my boot. Sam and Dean didn't blink twice at what was once a weird tradition of mine on hunts.

We strode quickly over to the house, half expecting to find a gory murder scene. Walking up the pathway to the door I noticed the Harper Caine Security sign in amongst the flower garden. As I passed it I yanked it out of the soil angrily and chucked it as far as I could into the other yard. We jogged up the front steps. Sam knocked on the door but no response came.

"Fuck it,'' I blew impatiently. I pulled the lock picking kit from my jacket and knelt down by the door. Sam held a flashlight above my head so I could see what I was doing. A few seconds after wiggling the lock I heard a click. I stood and put the kit back in my pocket.

Dean gave Sam and I a quick look before pulling out his gun. I followed suit as Dean slowly opened the door. I took out a small flashlight of my own and clicked it on in my other hand. Dean led the way inside and into what looked like the living room. I gasped as my light shone on the bloody bodies of a man and a woman. The man sat slumped in a chair with blood covering his chest while the woman lay on the floor with a pool of her own blood surrounding her head. _The parents_, I thought to myself. The TV in the corner of the room was grey with static.

Dean nudged my arm and pointed for me to shine the flashlight at something. I followed his gaze with it and revealed bloodied footsteps leading from the mother's head. I followed them through the dining room with Dean close behind me, gun raised at whatever we might find. At the other side of the dining room was a closed wooden door. I stood aside, gun and flashlight pointing at it. Dean gave me a look and reached for the doorknob. He pulled the door open quickly, both of our guns tensed, ready to fire. But all that we saw right away was a small closet with shelves on the back.

Dean closed the door and let me move ahead of him with the light. Another door stood in front of us. Dean moved to stand beside it as I reached for the knob. All of a sudden, the door flew open. A tall man looked at me with fury in his eyes. Before I could react, he raised his leg and kicked me in the chest. I grunted and flew back, the wind knocked out of me as I landed on the ground. I opened my eyes and looked up to see the man advance. But Dean shoved his body into the hulking man, knocking him into the wall.

I looked around for my gun, which had flown out of my hands when I fell. I stood and punched the man in the face. I cried in pain as I damaged my healing fingers further. I should have kept the tensor bandage on but I just had to insist that it would get in the way. The man elbowed Dean behind him and got free of his hold. Before he could turn around on Dean, Sam jumped between me and the man and slashed him with a knife. He screamed in pain as the wound on his arm seemed to burn and sizzle. Realising he was outnumbered, he pushed me aside and quickly escaped. Sam ran after him as I went over to check on Dean.

I put my hand on the side of his face and the other on his ribs. Worry was etched onto my face. "I'm fine,'' he told me. He took my injured hand from his face to inspect it. He frowned at me as I winced when he moved my fingers. "You're keeping that tensor from now on, you understand?" He raised his brows as if he were scolding me.

I took my hand back and did my best to ignore the pain. "Yeah, ok. Ok.''

Sam ran back into the room, winded from running. He shook his head to say the man got away. "The knife is silver,'' he confirmed. He held it up to show me and Dean. The thing still had the monster's blood on it.

A loud bang emerged from the room that the thing had come from. I found my gun on the floor and raised it in unison with Sam and Dean. We stalked into what looked like a kitchen and inspected the dark surroundings for the source of the sound. I walked by the windows beside the island. The panels were wide open hinting that this was how it got in. Another rustling sound came from the right where a washer and drier sat against the wall mirrored by a little table with a cover on it. Sam moved towards it between the island and the counter while Dean stayed closely by me on the other side. Sam went in front of us and reached for the table cover. He grabbed a hold of it and lifted it quickly.

"Holy fuck,'' I cursed.

* * *

We drove in silence in the Impala back to the motel. I took my usual spot in the backseat but more eagerly than I normally would. The streetlights passed by providing the only light in the darkness.

"What the hell are we going to do with it?'' Dean finally said something. He looked at Sam beside him who offered no answer then he caught my eyes in the rear view mirror.

I sighed and heard a soft cooing sound beside me. I looked down at the baby boy strapped in the car seat beside me. I had to hold on to the handle of it since the Impala had no proper seatbelts for it. He looked up at me and smiled with big blue eyes. I tickled the baby's chest making him giggle. "Let's just keep him for a little while and figure out what to do tomorrow." I got an unsettling feeling the longer I looked at the baby so I focused out the window.

"We go back to the motel, sleep, then we need to get stuff for it,'' Dean addressed.

"Agreed,'' I yawned and closed my eyes the rest of the way back. We parked in front of our room at the motel and snuck the baby inside the room. I set the seat down on Dean's bed and sat across from it on mine. The clock on the bedside table read 4:30. "How is it possibly this late?'' I rubbed my face dramatically.

"We should get some sleep," Sam walked over to the other side of my bed and laid down, forgetting about the blankets.

I unstrapped the baby from the car seat and held him up in front of me. He had a blue and white onesie on with a blue little hat. I took it off and he smiled. "I'll take him for the night," I yawned. Sam started snoring softly from behind me.

Dean came over and set the car seat on the ground. "He can't sleep in that till morning,'' he pointed at it.

I gave him an annoyed look. But he was right. I sat the baby down on my lap and looked back at Sam. I couldn't sleep with the baby on the edge side of the bed in case he fell off. I also couldn't risk a beast like Sam rolling over on him during the night. I turned back to Dean and he gave me a knowing look. I grunted and stood up, holding the baby against my chest. I was too tired to think otherwise of anything I was doing. I moved around to the other side of Dean's bed and laid the baby down in the middle. Dean put his feet up on the bed and laid back on the pillow facing the baby. I got on the bed as well and rested my head on the pillow. I closed my eyes in exhaustion and put my hand lightly on the baby pulling him over against me.

"You're greedy, you know that?'' Dean whispered.

I opened my eyes half way to see him smirking at me. "Babies like women better, you know that,'' I retorted and hugged the baby closely but not tight enough to hurt him in any way. He stayed sprawled out on his back, grinning up at me with his pink toothless gums and big eyes. I looked between him and Dean and started to tear up. "How could I have thought that I would be ok with this?'' I whispered. "This baby. I should be falling apart by now right? Remembering it all? I guess I kind of am but I thought it would be worse. I thought you would be worse."

"I'm not ok," Dean started. His eyes became glassy. "Neither of us should be ok. I remember it, too. So do you. We don't need to forget it. We shouldn't forget it. But we do need to move on."

I nodded and blinked away the tears but one fell helplessly to the pillow. "I wish I could forget. But in a way I think I need to remember. To move forward. I shouldn't feel ok with this baby but I do." I released a shaky breath.

"Go to sleep,'' Dean said and patted me on the arm before closing his eyes.

I woke up several times to the crying of the baby beside me. Every time I would watch Dean and Sam as I picked him up to make sure they didn't wake up. I would sit up with my legs crossed and cradle him in my arms until he drifted off to sleep again. It didn't bother me even though I had little sleep.

* * *

Soft mewling sounds woke me again at around nine in the morning. The boys were still passed out. But the little one yawned and moved his arms and legs around. I decided that I might as well go get supplies while they slept so it wouldn't bother them later on.

"Come on, little man,'' I whispered and picked him up. I went to the bag of baby clothes we took from the house and dressed him in a green, blue, and grey sweater with blue pants. I tip toed around the beds and fished my wallet out of my bag and went over to Dean who still had his jacket on. Luckily he wasn't laying on the side he kept his keys in. I held the baby against me with my left arm while I slowly reached into Dean's pocket with the other. Just as I hooked a finger around the keys Dean shifted and turned over facing me. He opened his eyes tiredly but they went farther when he realised that I had his keys in my hand and the baby on an arm.

"Going somewhere?'' he asked raising his eyebrows.

"Thought I'd go out before you two woke up,'' I explained, moving the baby from one arm to the other. "But then again that thing could still be out there,'' I realised as I said it.

"I'm coming," Dean yawned and stood up.

I jiggled the keys in front of him as he stretched his arms in the air. He snatched them and went ahead to open the door for us. I grabbed the car seat and made my way to the Impala. I set the seat on the hood and buckled the baby in. Dean got behind the wheel and I slid in beside him with the baby in between us.

Once we parked in front of the supermarket I took the boy out of the seat and carried him inside. Dean got a cart and followed me through the store to the baby isle. There were so many things that I couldn't even guess what they were meant for. I just thought we needed the basics.

I pointed down at a bag of diapers on the bottom shelf which Dean picked up and put in the cart. I took a couple bottles and threw them in as well along with a few tins of formula.

I continued scanning the shelves when Dean asked "Isn't there some kind of paste or something you're supposed to put on their butts?"

I looked back at him with a raised brow. "Unnecessary. Where did you even hear that anyway?'' He shrugged and picked up a box of wet wipes that I'd missed. He held them up to me with a clueless look. "That's better,'' I responded.

A woman with curly blonde hair and a pink shirt walked by with a toddler in her arms. She grinned at us and commented "You are one attractive family if you don't mind me saying."

I adjusted the baby and smiled gratefully at the woman. "Thank you.'' At that she walked away to the next isle. I shrugged it off and went back to looking. When I caught Dean's eye he was leaning on the cart smiling like an idiot. "What?'' I asked defensively.

He chuckled and walked over to take the baby from my arms. "We are pretty attractive,'' he chuckled smugly. He walked ahead bouncing the baby as I got the cart and filled it up with whatever else I thought we needed. I guess I took the compliment as a confidence boost but I still felt awkward.

I took the items to check out without any sign of Dean. Just as the last thing was being scanned I heard "excuse me'' and ''pardon me'' as Dean made his way through the line to where I stood about to scan my credit card. A look of pure terror was written on his face. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he said "We got water works incoming.'' Almost on cue the baby started wailing. Half the people in the store stopped and stared.

"Make it stop,'' I grumbled under my breath to Dean. I entered the pin on my card and waited for the screen to say "approved". The baby kept on crying. "Everyone is staring at like we're child abusers,'' I said through my teeth as I smiled like nothing was happening.

"Aw, what's the matter?" an older looking African American woman said in a baby voice. She leaned in to get a close look at the kid. "What's his name?"

I stammered a response as quickly as I could. "Clark."

"Kent,'' Dean spit out almost interrupting me. Clark Kent. This was it. It was all over now. Both Dean and I looked at each other, horrified.

The woman didn't seem to care though. She only seemed interested in our little Clark Kent. "Hi Clark Kent," she said in a pippy cheery voice. I assumed that the old woman had no clue what or who Clark Kent was because she wasn't fazed. Meanwhile I had to giggle a little at how absurd it sounded. "Aren't you handsome.'' The woman looked at Dean and asked "May I?''

"Oh, uh…" he started but she had already gently taken the baby into her arms.

"I see now,'' the woman started, holding the baby against her. "Little Clark is wet. No offence,'' she looked up at us, "but you two look exhausted. I don't mind. Lord knows I've changed a million diapers.''

Dean seemed relieved but at that second I happened to look down behind the cash behind us at the TV screen with the security footage. There I saw me and Dean… _Oh God_. The woman, her eyes were glowing! My heart dropped to my feet and I knew suddenly what kind of monster we're dealing with.

I turned back to the monster and said as steadily as I could, "You know what, that's a really nice offer but…" I paused thinking of a good enough excuse that the thing and the people around us would buy without question. "See, if I don't breast feed every now and then,'' I started loud enough for everyone staring at the awkward situation, ''my boobs get, like, really sore and it just puts me in a terrible mood so if you don't mind…" I gave the bags to Dean which he took with a weird look on his face.

"It's ok, I can watch him,'' the shapeshifter insisted. Clearly it wasn't about to give up so easily.

I pushed past Dean so that I stood between him and the creature, sensing that it was about to get hostile. "Give me the baby before I stab you in the fucking neck,'' I threatened.

"Willa…'' Dean began but stopped when I pointed at the camera, not breaking my stare at the thing. The shapshifter clung to the baby, turned, and ran around all the cashiers to the door. "Go around!" I yelled at Dean before sprinting after it. I caught up and went to grab its arm but got a huge piece of flesh instead. I threw it at the ground and stayed after it. In the corner of my eye I saw Dean running around with the bags in one hand. The shifter turned right to head for the door but ran straight into Dean who swept the baby into his arms. He paused for a split second as if contemplating whether to leave me or not.

"Run!" I screamed and threw all my body weight at the shifter and tackled it to the ground. Dean ran outside in a blur but I wasn't focused on him. I turned the old woman, or whatever the hell it actually was, over and pulled the knife from my boot and held it to its throat. Thank all heavens the blade was laced with silver.

"Help me!'' it called out in a phony innocent voice. "She's hurting me!"

A pair of arms wrapped around me and lifted me away from it. I elbowed whoever had hold of me and they let go with a pained grunt. I saw that it was only a worker from the store. He had his hands raised and a shocked look.

I held the knife in the air in surrender. "Alright," I breathed. "Ok.'' Before the man could call the police or the shifter could attack me, I bolted out the door. As I sprinted to the car I ran smack into Dean who had turned back. "Go, go, go!" I pushed him toward the car. We dove in and sped off back to the motel room. In the mirror I saw the shifter run outside but stop when it noticed our escape. Down the road I put a hand on the baby's chest. "Is he ok?''

"Yeah, he's fine,'' Dean answered. "You?"

"I'm just peachy.'' I sat back and caught my breath. "Jesus Christ.''

* * *

We went back to the motel room to get Sam and all our gear. With everything packed in the car within ten minutes we set off. I don't know where we were headed but Dean was determined to drive us the hell away from that thing.

"What the hell would a shapeshifter want with a baby anyway?" Sam asked from the front after we'd told him about everything from the store.

"Who the hell knows,'' Dean replied. "At least we know what it is.''

"We need to keep an eye out,'' I warned. "It could follow us." I sniffed at the kid. "The damned thing was right about the diaper, though.'' I waited a second, looking at the trees pass by the window. "Clark Kent, Dean? Really?"

He raised his hands defensively. "Well I'm sorry your nerdism rubbed off on me.

A little while later we arrived at another motel where we made temporary camp. Surprisingly one of the rooms was set up with a crib so we jumped at the chance. Once inside, Sam and I set up at the table with papers and laptop to try and figure out why the shifter would want babies. Meanwhile, Dean changed the baby's dirty diaper on a towel on the bed.

"Look, I'll pay you money if you sit still,'' Dean told the fussy baby. I smiled but focused on the papers. "Alright, we are golden, Clark Kent.'' Catching me and Sam's attention, we looked up to see Dean lift the baby. He bounced gently as he walked over to the crib humming an old rock tune I couldn't quite remember. "If I put you down will you be a man about it?'' The baby cooed in response but remained quiet as Dean carefully set him down in the crib.

Sam scoffed and raised his eyebrows.

"What?'' Dean asked defensively. He walked over to the bedside table and poured himself a drink.

"Nothing,'' Sam started. "It's just that you're kinda good at that.''

"We all have our talents,'' I smirked and lifted the corner of a piece of paper to start reading it. "Dean must be the mama bear type.''

"Aw shucks.'' Dean took a sip of his drink and sat down on the edge of the bed next to us.

"Oh my God,'' Sam blurted. My eyes shot up at him in surprise. "I can't believe I missed this.'' He pulled a paper out from under a few others. I leaned my neck forward to get a better look but the words were too small to see from the short distance.

"What is it?'' I asked, my interest and suspicion peaked.

"One of the families. Mother was murdered and the baby was taken. But daddy wasn't living there at the time so he's still alive.'' He looked between me and Dean hopefully. "Should we go have a little chat?''

"Let's.'' Dean swallowed the rest of the drink and put the glass down on the table.

We all stood up only to pause suddenly when the whimpering of the baby reminded us. I sighed and closed my eyes. I was really hoping to interview another person to get to the bottom of this. "No badge for Clark Kent,'' I mentioned and sat back down picking up my water bottle. "I'll stay and watch him.'' I took a long gulp and started to organize all the paperwork.

"You sure?'' Sam raised his brows. I nodded to him and then Dean who seemed a little hesitant about leaving.

They changed into their suits as I cleaned up the table and put everything back into folders. Just as Sam and Dean prepared to head out the door I felt my phone vibrate softly from my back pocket. I took it out and read Laurel's name on the screen.

"Call us if anything happens,'' Dean spoke. I looked up at him holding the door open. I nodded, a little distracted. Dean glanced over at the crib and closed the door behind him. I waited until I heard the car starting to look at the text.

I was intrigued to see what Laurel had to say for herself. She knows not to call or text me during the day when I'm on hunts. I would usually contact her first at the end of the day to tell her everything was fine. I swiped the screen and looked at the message. _Call me ASAP!_ , it said.

I furrowed my brows in confusion but worry creased my forehead. _What if something happened to her? What if Gem broke his leg out in the field? What if there was a monster in my home holding my best friend hostage? _All the questions were repeating themselves in my mind.

I quickly tapped her number and listened for the dial tones. Two passed by rhythmically, my heart pounded multiple times between each.

"Hello?'' I let out a breath of relief as Laurel's voice picked up.

"Laurel, what's wrong? Why did you text me?'' I said harshly.

"Willa, it's important...'' she started.

"It better be.''

"This guy is here.'' I wasn't sure if it was because I was hearing her voice over the phone or not but she sounded scared.

I had a dreadful feeling. "What is his name? Did he tell you his name? Is he in the house?'' I stood up from the chair and began pacing the room. The miles between me and my home put a strain on the situation. There was nothing I could do if laurel was in danger right now. But if I was right about who I was thinking of…

"He said his name was Isaac,'' she replied. My heart fell two feet. It stopped beating for a few seconds in shock.

"Isaac who?'' my voice shook.

"He said it was Isaac Marshallson, or something.''

"Tell me everything.'' I glanced down at the sleeping baby as I continued pacing.

"He showed up like ten minutes ago. Hold on, wait a second.'' I heard her shoes on the floor. I assumed she walked into another room. A door opened and closed on the other end of the line. "He's in the kitchen. I wouldn't have let him in if he seemed like some psycho, you know that. He showed up at the door with a duffel bag and said that Cas sent him here.''

"Cas?'' I'd forgotten that Laurel knew nothing about the prophecy thing. "What else did he say?''

"He said that he knows about the whole angels and demons thing. He grew up a hunter. He's known Cas for a few years, actually. He just showed up here saying that demons were trying to get their hands on him and Castiel told him to come here. And out of nowhere, the angel himself shows up beside Isaac in the doorway and tells me that he needs to stay here for a while. Then poof, he vanishes. I'm beyond confused right now. Can you help me out here? Do you know anything?''

"Listen,'' I began. "I haven't been honest with you. There's this thing that-'' I stopped and whipped my head around after I heard a huge splattering sound. The baby immediately started wailing.

"Willa? What the hell was that?! Is that a baby?!'' Laurel yelled.

I stared a long moment at the scene before me. "I gotta go,'' I said in a rush and hung up the phone. The wall behind the baby's crib was splattered with flesh coloured goo along with blood. I rushed over to it to see if the infant was alright. "Holy shit,'' I cursed when I looked down into the crib. Just then my phone started ringing. I picked it up and saw that it was Dean calling. "I got a situation here,'' I barely sounded audible as I answered.

Dean didn't seem to hear. ''The father checked out. We think the shapeshifter is the dad. Of all the kids.''

I picked up the goo covered dark skinned baby from the crib and held the phone between my shoulder and my head. I gaze at the baby in surprise. "Yeah, I kind of figured.''

"Wait a minute,'' Dean stammered. "What the hell happened?!"

"The kid. It just shifted.'' I carried him over the towel on the bed and laid him down on it. I gaged at the sticky substance left on my hands.

"Say again?'' Dean said.

"Dean, the baby fucking shifted,'' I stuttered. I took half a dozen wet wipes out of the container and cleaned my hands, trying not to vomit. "Get back here as fast as you can, please,'' I said in a polite tone.

"On our way,'' Dean asserted before hanging up.

I grabbed more wet wipes and started cleaning off the baby, discarding them into the trash can behind me. I put on a fresh diaper as fast as I could and dried the baby off with the towel as he cried on and on. "Sh, come on, little man. Please be quiet.'' A knock from the door tore my attention away. I looked at it with wide eyes. "Who is it?'' I asked.

"Manager,'' a male voice said from the other side of the door. "Everything ok in there?''

I picked up the baby and wrapped the towel around it. "Yes, everything is fine.'' I tried to sound as normal as possible. I moved over to the table and took the gun, tucking it into the back of my pants. I quickly pulled my jacket on and grabbed Dean's duffel bag. Luckily it was the only thing we had in the room other than the research papers and the baby supplies.

"There have been complaints,'' the man said. "Do you mind opening the door, Ma'am.''

"Ugh, this isn't really a good time.'' I panicked and stood behind the corner by the door and out of view. I held the baby tight against me but he kept crying.

"Ma'am, I need you to open the door right now,'' the man demanded. His voice boomed through the door. I heard the locked doorknob jiggling. I realised then that this wasn't the manager. A manager would never do anything like that.

_Oh shit_, I thought to myself. It's him. He found us. I looked at the baby and set him down on the bed. I put the duffle bag down by the door and went back to hiding behind the corner just as a set of keys jangled and the door opened. I waited a few seconds, listening for incoming footsteps but only hearing my thumping pulse.

The man walked into my line of sight and I noticed that he was dressed in a police officer's uniform. I stayed pressed against the wall with my hand hovering over the gun. The baby squirmed and cried on the bed. The shifter noticed and walked quickly over to him, completely forgetting that there should have been another person in the room.

He went to pick up the kid but I pulled out my gun and whistled. He turned around and snarled at my raised gun. "You're not taking that kid anywhere,'' I barked.

"The child should be with his father,'' he sneered showing his teeth, or whoever's teeth he was impersonating.

"To be honest I'm not seeing the family resemblance,'' I joked with a serious tone. "I wasn't aware that shapeshifters were the family kind."

"I meant our father.''

"How poetic,'' I smiled mockingly and released three bullets into his chest with no hesitation. His body jerked back as each one embedded itself into him. He fell backwards on the floor with a growing puddle of blood surrounding his torso.

I went to pick up the baby and turned around to see Dean and Sam, utterly shocked, in the doorway. "There goes our deposit,'' Dean commented and picked up his bag. Sam walked around him to gather his paperwork and laptop. They both rushed and ignored the dead shifter sprawled out on the ground.

I picked up the bag of baby supplies and handed it to Dean who took a long look at the baby as I walked by and out the door. I opened the door to the backseat and clipped the baby into the car seat. Sam settled in the front as Dean popped the trunk and put the bags in with the rest of our gear. "Let's get the hell out of here.'' He walked around and got behind the wheel as I slid in beside the baby.

* * *

"You know, it's pretty smart actually,'' Sam said from the front seat. "Shifter poses as a guard for the security company to get near the house, scopes out the fam…''

"Yeah, then the dad takes off and the shifter becomes the dad,'' I took over.

"I didn't even know they had babies, ''Sam exclaimed. "I thought they were just freaks of nature, like X Men style.''

"Actually X Men are mutants," I began, waiting for one of them to shut me up. "They're born like regular people, they just have powers and stuff..." I became quieter and trailed off awkwardly upon Sam giving me a dirty look.

"You learn something new every day,'' Dean said.

"I've never really seen a baby monster before,'' Sam looked over the front seat at the sleeping baby beside me.

"Surely it's not a 'monster' monster. It's still just a baby,'' I piped. "Not his fault his dad's a shifter.''

"Right, but it's still a shifter, too,'' Sam pressed.

Dean looked through the rear view mirror. "It's still a baby, I mean, we gotta look after this thing. We can't just drop it off at an orphanage, they might get upset when it turns Asian.'' I scoffed and chuckled at his humor.

"Samuel,'' Sam suggested.

"What?'' Dean looked at him in an offended way. I tensed, feeling and incoming argument.

"Samuel,'' Sam repeated. "He'll know what to do.''

"You want to bring it to a bunch of hunters?'' Dean had a point. We couldn't just drop a shapeshifting baby off with hunters, even if they were family. We grow up hating these things and wanting to kill them, bad or good.

"Not just hunters, Dean. They're our family,'' Sam quipped.

"We don't know them,'' I spoke up from the back. I had to take a stand in this for the baby's sake. These people could kill it as soon as we revealed what it was.

"I know them,'' Sam glared at me. "Not every hunter is like that, guys. Samuel, is actually a lot like you.''

He gestured to Dean who smiled sarcastically. "I'm a freaking head case,'' he huffed.

"Well, pitch a better idea then.'' Dean and I remained quiet for a few moments.

There really was no other option. We sure as hell couldn't raise a shapeshifting baby ourselves. I knew that if it had a chance though that it wouldn't grow up to be the kind of monster we'd hunt. It's all about how their raised and what they're told growing up. If the hunters would accept this baby then it wouldn't have the terrible childhood that all shapeshifters seemed to have. It would most likely grow up to be a hunter. Imagine that, a shapeshifting hunter.

Dean pulled the car over at the side of the road. I glanced at him, confused. "Sam, you drive. You know where to go.'' Dean got out and walked around the front of the car while Sam slid across the front seat and settled himself behind the wheel. We set off again once Dean slammed his door with a huff.

On the drive I kept thinking about the call I had with Laurel. THE Isaac that Cas told us about. He was at my house. Probably having awkward conversations with my best friend. I wondered if he even knew about this bullshit prophecy. Or if he was lied to by Cas to get him to the house. I looked at Dean who had a blank expression and focussed out the windshield. I decided to keep it to myself until we got this whole situation sorted out. I didn't want anything distracting Dean or Sam for the rest of this hunt.

* * *

Hours later when it had gotten dark outside we arrived at a fenced in, junkyard looking place. Two men were posted outside holding guns across their chests. They seemed to recognise Sam because one of them opened the gate to let us by. The other ducked down and stared at Dean and then me as we passed. His eyes lingered on mine for a second making me squirm and glance away.

We parked at the end of a long building that looked like a barn and got out. Dean stopped me as soon as I closed the car door and opened his arms to take the baby. "I got it,'' he insisted. "You look tired.'' I gave up the baby easily, I really was exhausted. We had only taken in the kid late last night and between now and then I had only gotten about an hour of sleep.

"Thank you,'' I murmured. I blinked my eyes tiredly, the heaviness and lack of sleep just now setting in.

Sam led the way through the door into the building. The floor was cement and there was a light on the ceiling illuminating the center of the room. Dusty tables and racks lined the walls on the sides. Either it was too dark or I was too tired to see anything father other than cluttered desks and a lit up lamp on one of them. Behind said desk Samuel stood up out of his chair. Mark got up from behind another. Gwen came out from the shadows behind Mark and headed towards us. Christian also walked in the door behind us as soon as we got inside. We were surrounded by Campbells with a baby that had yet to be explained.

"The baby is a shapeshifter,'' Sam blurted out. I could feel everyone in the room tense. I would have prepared myself if I had known that the man would just up and say it like that.

Dean shot a glare at Sam but was distracted when Gwen came up to him and peered down at the sleeping baby with a smile. "Well aren't you the cutest disguise a monster ever wore,'' she chirped. She wasn't even surprised at what Sam just said. She just went with it like it was a normal thing.

I scoffed and furrowed my brows at how insensitive she sounded. "Come on,'' I quipped.

"What? I'm kidding, relax.'' She grinned and looked over Dean's shoulder at me. She turned and walked away nonetheless.

I stepped forward beside Dean and crossed my arms as Mark, whom I recalled to be an ass, stalked forward. "You got something to say?'' I challenged.

He squinted his eyes at me and licked his lower lip. Then he shook his head in a disappointed way and stood aside. Christian sat down on a chair beside me twisting a screwdriver into what looked like some piece of junk. He giggled to himself at what was probably my snarky remark.

Sam had gone over to Samuel's desk while I wasn't paying attention. He now walked back alongside his grandfather. "So what's our next move?''

"I got a few ideas,'' Samuel replied. He reached towards the baby and said "Dean, let me see the little guy.''

"That's alright, I got him,'' Dean said in a hostile way. I clenched my fists instinctively.

"What do you think I'm going to do?'' Samuel shot back. I saw Christian pause and look up in the corner of my eye.

"You don't want me to answer that,'' Dean held steady.

"Well, I'm curious.'' We all looked over to Christian who held a hand up questioningly. "Who exactly do you think we are?'' All eyes went back to Dean except mine.

"Hunters,'' he answered simply.

Christian lowered his hand and nodded in an understanding way but I could tell it wasn't sincere. _God, everyone in this family seems to be in a mood. _"Funny,'' he sneered "here I am thinking we're family.''

I shot him a dangerous look while I prepared a few harsh words for him. "Hey,'' Sam warned Christian before I could do anything. "Let's not get worked up. Here, Dean, it's fine.'' He reached forward. "Let me take him. It's ok.''

I nudged Dean's arm and when he looked over at me I nodded. He hesitated a moment but gave the sleeping baby over to Sam. I could see Gwen and Mark give each other an anxious look. Sam then handed the baby off to Samuel.

"Hey,'' he said. "You're a big fella, aren't ya?" He smiled at the baby as he readjusted it more comfortably. "I haven't held one of these in a long time.''

My heart pounded in my chest nervously. I was uneasy all of a sudden. I regretted letting Dean give Samuel the baby. But I knew Dean was feeling the same. I swayed on my feet with my fists still balled up. It could be an act. He could easily pull out a knife and kill it. Just when I was about to say 'that's enough' I felt Dean's hand graze my own. He knitted his fingers through mine and held me steady. In that moment he was my anchor. My pulse slowed and I took a deep, subtle breath in. I squeezed his hand and kept my composure. I knew he was feeling the same as me.

"You're mom,'' Samuel glanced from the baby to Dean "she was the tiniest.'' He seemed genuinely happy, a hint of pride in his voice as he mentioned Mary.

"Right, so what the hell are we going to do with him?'' Dean said quickly.

"Raise him,'' Samuel simply stated.

"Wait," I started. "Raise him?" My eyes widened. "You can't be serious.''

"You got another suggestion?" Samuel raised his eyebrows at me giving off a fatherly kind of tone.

"But-''

"It's dangerous out there for him, Willa.'' He narrowed his gaze.

"And what about in here?'' Dean questioned. "What are we going to do? Study him? Poke at him?'' I gave his hand another gentle squeeze at which he calmed down slightly.

"Your mind goes right to torture, Dean,'' Christian accused. "Don't assume that for everyone.''

"What exactly are you trying to say?'' He craned his neck.

"Guys, just stop,'' I raised my free hand to silence everyone. "Enough with this shit.''

"Are we done here?'' Samuel bumped in. "Don't worry, Dean. Nothing is going to happen to him. When he's old enough, we throw it to him if he's willing to help out.''

"It could be great,'' Mark spoke up from the first time.

"How?'' Dean asked.

"Think of the kind of hunter he'll grow up to be.''

"Oh, come on!'' Dean's grip on my hand tightened painfully. "You can't Angelina Jolie a shapeshifter." He looked down at the baby in Samuels arms. "Give me the baby.'' I pulled my free hand up to grip onto Dean's lower arm, close to where I clung to his hand, trying to restrain him in a way.

"Why can't you give me an ounce of trust?'' Samuel didn't budge.

Dean took notice of my subtle efforts to subdue him and stood still. But it didn't stop the harshness in his voice. "Maybe it's because you two have risen from the dead out of nowhere and I'm the only one who wants to know how the hell that happened!''

"You're not the only one who wants to know,'' Sam said calmly.

"There's just a little too much mystery in this family for me to get comfy.''

"Then don't,'' Samuel piped. "Don't blame it on us. All we're trying to do is invite you two in.'' He referenced to me and Dean before stepping forward. "Christian?''

"Yeah,'' he replied.

"You and your wife still no luck on the baby front?''

"Not yet, no,'' he replied awkwardly.

"But you want one?'' Samuel insisted.

Christian laughed. "Yeah, we do.''

"Wait, hold on…'' Dean started.

"Come on guys,'' Mark said as he held his arms out by his sides. God help him if he said the wrong thing. He gestured at Dean and I, hand in hand. "You have to understand, right?'' He smiled dangerously, like he was a little boy poking at a dead bear. Except this bear wasn't dead. Not even close. "Dean, Willa, you guys are technically parents.'' Weakened, I leaned against Dean, who noticed immediately. I gripped his hand as tight as I could. The air in the room immediately felt colder and thicker. "You had a baby, well, maybe not-'' Mark was cut short as Dean, quick as light, ripped his hand from mine and punched Mark with a loud smack. Mark fell to the ground but caught himself hastily as Gwen gasped and helped him up.

Christian dropped what he was doing and jumped in front of me and grabbed Dean's arms. Dean turned and shook him off. Sam stepped forward and placed a hand on Dean's chest before he could advance on Christian. I moved around the man and joined Sam in between the two.

"Hold him back,'' Christian warned me. "Or someone else is getting hurt.'' He looked down on me as if I were nothing, which set me off more than Mark's careless remarks.

"Careful,'' I snapped back. "I've been pissed off enough in the past few minutes.'' I laced every word with an ounce of venom.

"Enough!'' Samuel held the baby protectively but asserted his voice loud enough for us all to notice. The distant barking and yelping of a dog outside interrupted. Samuel looked up in shock. "Check the back door,'' he ordered. Mark and Gwen immediately went to the back of the room and out of view. He turned around and gave me the baby. "Go downstairs to the panic room,'' he told me. "You'll be safe there.''

Christian ran behind us and locked the door we came in through. Sam waved us to follow him while Dean pressed a hand on my back and ushered me to follow. Sam opened a door at the back of the room and held it open as I went through first and ran down the stairs on the other side. Dean stayed close behind me. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Sam locking the door behind him and running down the stairs.

There was a thick metal wall in front of us after we stopped with a metal door and a small round window. Dean opened it urgently and waved me and Sam inside. I hugged the baby to my chest as I entered the bunker. The walls and floors were cement. Florescent lights ran along the walls on either side of us and a red spray painted demon trap spread across the ground. When I turned around, Dean bolted the doors multiple locks and back up. After a few seconds of just looking at the door, he rushed over to my side. Sam stood by the door in a stance, ready for what might come through.

Nerves made me feel nauseous and giddy. I held the baby against me tightly, telling myself over and over again not to let it get hurt. I backed up and leaned against the far wall. I jumped when I heard two gunshots from above. I looked up as if expecting to see what was going on but I only met the grey ceiling. After that I heard Gwen scream something but it was tough to make out. The baby started crying and wiggling in my grasp.

Dean gave me a pitying glance and held his arms out. I handed the baby over to him at which he started soothing it as best as he could. "It's ok, it's ok,'' he whispered. Loud shuffling sounded above our heads. Dean started pacing the length of the room while I remained against the wall, trying to calm myself.

"Alright,'' Sam said glancing back at us. "I'm going up. Stay with the baby.'' He slowly went over to look out the window when his very own face popped up on the other side with a menacing look. Sam jumped back in shock while I got up off the wall and stood next to Dean and the baby.

Sam pulled out a knife right before the shifter ripped the metal door right off its hinges and tossed it aside like it was nothing. My heart froze as he stalked towards Sam who raised the knife in the air to stab but the shifter grabbed his arm and neck.

"No!'' I yelled whipping the knife from my boot and moving towards them.

"Willa, stay back and take the baby,'' Dean yelled behind me warningly. I ignored him, overcome by the protective instinct.

While the shifter still held Sam I stabbed him in the shoulder with my knife. He screamed and threw Sam to the ground outside the bunker. I yanked my knife back and stood ready. He swung a punch but I ducked under his arm and launched myself towards his chest. Luckily I caught him off balance and fell on top of him as he landed heavily on the ground. I widened my knees as I straddled him to pin his arms beneath me.

What was an impersonation of Sam rippled and immediately took the face of Dean. "What the hell?!" I cursed. I never saw a shifter turn that easily before.

The shifter looked up at me with Dean's face but something in his eye was different. It managed to get one of it's arms free while I looked at it in revelation. The next thing I saw was the whir of the arm before it hit me hard in the side of my head. My vision went blurry as the shifter pushed me off of him to land on the cold concrete. I heard Dean yell seconds after. Then it all went black.

* * *

I woke up in a sitting position. I was on the floor with my legs stretched out before me, leaning against the wall. When my eyes focussed I saw Dean's face hovering just in front of mine. He stared at me with a worried look. I lifted my head to see him better but a pounding headache made me wince.

"Easy.'' he put a hand against my shoulder. I raised a hand to where I had been hit. "I wouldn't-'' Dean started but I had already touched the tender flesh.

The pain drove my hand away quickly. I hissed and put it down on the ground. With my vision now in focus I could tell that we were back upstairs and out of the bunker. I looked behind Dean to see Sam leaning against the wall on the other side talking to Samuel. Christian walked by and glanced down at me. He looked sympathetic but troubled. Gwen walked around picking up rope and debris off the ground.

"Help me up,'' I told Dean. I held out my hands for him to take. He pulled me up and held a hand in front of me in case I fell. "I'm ok,'' I assured. Aside from the wound to my head I was fine. "Tell me what happened,'' I said in a hushed tone leaning close enough to hear.

"After you went down the shifter came for me. He, uh, he choked me and took the baby. I passed out for a few seconds but I woke up and saw him walking out. I went out again after that.''

I looked around noticing that a person was missing. "Where's Mark?'' I raised my brows at Dean.

He sighed and looked down, obviously reluctant to say what came next. "He's dead. Shifter killed him.''

I ran a hand through my hair and clenched my teeth. "Shit. This wouldn't have happened if we didn't come here.'' I looked around, not wanting to face Dean.

"There was nothing we could have done. We had no choice other than to come here,'' he tried to reassure, putting a hand against my arm and rubbing lightly. I appreciated the contact and pulled Dean into a gentle hug. His regret washed over mine as well.

When we released each other I focussed on Sam and his grandfather across the room and strode over to them. They stopped talking as I approached. "What the hell was that thing?'' I demanded. "It sure as hell wasn't a regular old shifter.''

Samuel placed his hand on his hips and spoke. "We think it's an alpha.''

I raised my brows, surprised. "An alpha?'' I said unbelievingly. "An alpha shifter? Can those things even exist?" My eyes shot quickly between Sam and Samuel, awaiting more answers.

"Well, we're pretty sure it's not a myth now. All monsters come from somewhere, right?''

I felt Dean's arm brush against mine as he came up beside me. "And you think this one was the…" I started.

"King shapeshifter,'' Samuel finished. "First one. Spawned all the others, there's tons of lore on it.'' He was confident in what he said, which made me believe him.

"Which is why it was so strong,'' I guessed. Sam nodded in agreement.

"He said that he could find the baby anywhere.'' Samuel waved his hand about as he explained. "He could sense it. That's in the lore, too.''

"What the hell does it want with babies? A softball team?'' I said sarcastically.

Samuel shrugged. "I got no clue.

"Great,'' I sighed. "How do we kill it?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably and Samuel moved from one foot to the other. "I don't know if we can kill it.''

"Silver anything doesn't work, does it?'' I assumed a little more than actually asked.

"Nothing yet,'' Samuel answered. He put a hand on my shoulder to ease my disappointment.

"I'm sorry bout Mark,'' I said to him. Samuel nodded weakly and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

I pushed my hair behind my ear and whispered 'goodbye' before heading for the door. I opened it and stepped outside, met by the chilled night air. Sam and Dean followed as I went to the Impala and leaned against the hood. The boys stopped in front of me giving me a quizzing look.

"Dean did you hear what the shifter said back at the motel?' I asked.

"He said something about 'the father','' Dean confirmed. "Makes sense now with the alpha.'' He gestured his head back to the building.

"Sam you heard it, too, right?'' I turned to him.

He raised his brows in confusion after he snapped back to attention. "Uh, I don't know. It was kind of a hot moment. I didn't hear anything. Why?"

"Well you were right beside Dean when it happened. And if you heard him then you knew that the alpha was out there.'' Sam gave me a puzzled expression. "If you knew the alpha was out there then you knew he would come after the baby. In which case, you were using the baby as bait. Was that the plan? To use an innocent kid as bait?'' My hands twitched in my jacket pockets.

"Of course not,'' Sam tried to brush it off. He noticed that my stony look didn't change. He squirmed under it. "I just thought Samuel's was the safest place.''

"Right, yeah." I laughed to myself and got off the hood of the car. "Sorry.''

Sam smiled shyly and went around to get in the passenger seat. I gave Dean a fake embarrassed smirk but he looked at me to say that he knew what I was talking about. We got in the car and drove to the nearest roadside motel without another word.

* * *

After Sam had fallen asleep I lay beside him, unable to keep my eyes closed for more than a couple seconds. I looked over to Dean's bed to find it empty so I sat up and pushed the covers back. I stood up and grabbed my jacket from one of the chairs at the table. It was almost pointless because I was wearing short pajama shorts but I shrugged the jacket on anyway. I slipped on my boots and quietly opened the door and went outside. I shivered at the cold air and crossed my arms. I saw Dean sitting on the hood of the impala which was facing away from the motel. He looked up at the stars with a beer in hand.

I tip toed over and casually sat beside him. I looked up at the millions of little bright lights in the sky as Dean glanced down at me. There was only one other car in the parking lot. The sign for the motel must have been broken because it didn't light up at all. On the other side of the road there were only trees. It was completely dark save for the moonlight and the stars. No city lights disturbing it. It was beautiful.

"Laurel called today,'' I whispered. I wasn't going to drag it out but I gave him a second to prepare. "Isaac is at the house.''

Dean nearly choked on his beer. "What?!" He wiped his mouth and stared at me. I remained calm, still looking at the night sky.

"Whisper,'' I reminded him. It was peaceful there and I didn't want to ruin it. "She only told me a little bit before the whole shifter thing happened. He's a hunter,'' I began. I could feel Dean's eyes on me. "He, uh, showed up this morning, I guess. He said he's known Cas for a few years. And, uh, he was being targeted by demons. Maybe he was hunting them and something went wrong. I don't know. Castiel told him that it would be safe at my place. Cas even told Laurel that he needed to stay there for a while.''

"She doesn't know anything, does she?'' Dean murmured.

I shook my head and looked down. "No. I take it he doesn't either. If Cas used the whole 'demon' thing to get him to go to the house... Everything about this is so absurd.''

"That's all she said?''

"Yeah. We should head back and see this guy.'' I looked up at Dean who looked hurt in a way. "Nothing will ever happen between me and him.'' I put my hands behind me and leaned back. "I don't even know if he's hot or not,'' I joked.

"Yeah, I hope not.'' Dean took a swig of beer and poked me in the side.

"Since when do we ever do what angels tell us, anyway?'' I giggled.

Dean chuckled. "Yeah we're pretty good at that. I can't help but feel a little jealous of the guy.'' He said it in a sarcastic way but I furrowed my brows at the hint of honesty in his voice. "Kind of like a blind date.'' He smirked down at me. "With the most bad ass huntress I know."

I leaned forward. "Well he's no Dean Winchester,'' I commented with a cheeky grin. Dean laughed in response. I moved closer to him so that our arms pressed together. I got a feeling then and everything I did after that was because of it. Dean turned and looked at me. I slid a hand behind his neck and pulled him down a couple inches closer to me and to which obliged with no resistance. I closed my eyes and kissed him.

It was all one swift motion. I hardly thought about it. The feeling I got before, it was like a butterfly fluttering around in my chest, encouraging me. When my lips made contact with his, it intensified. A burnt out fire inside of my came to life again.

I felt Dean's hand curl around the back of my neck gently. For several moments we held each other, our lips pressed together for the first time in so long. I was the first to move and pull away. Once I did I looked at Dean whose eyes were still closed. He opened them a second later and stared into mine.

"I never stopped loving you,'' I admitted. It was the feeling, again, that drove me into saying that. But it didn't lie. What I said was entirely true. I just kept it inside, hoping that no one would ever find out.

Dean grinned and pulled me in for another, much longer kiss. I smiled when we finished, our foreheads pressed together. Mine throbbing in pain from where I was hit but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I embraced how I felt. I was so happy to finally admit it. I waited because I thought I would fall apart as soon as soon as I acknowledged it. But it was stupid to pretend for all that time since the battle that I didn't care anymore. But now that it was out there, Dean seemed to be waiting for it the whole time, I could move on properly.

* * *

**Wow. For once I've managed to update on time. I'm trying to update every month on the eleventh. I was so excited to write this chapter that I finished it within three days of the last update. Of course I was on summer vacation at the time so I had the days to spare. Even though I'm busier now I will try my hardest to update once a month.**

**Thank you for the follows, favourites, and reviews!**

**Please follow, favourite, or review if you like the story or have any ideas you want me to write about or if you have anything to say. Thank you again for everything, even bothering to read. It means a lot! **

** -SkyQueen1111**


	7. Meet Your Other Half

The warmth of the sun heated my face as I rested my head against the door of the impala. I closed my eyes for a moment and savoured the motion of the vehicle as it cruised down the highway. Sam stayed back at the Campbell base with Samuel. We left Michigan a couple days ago. Dean and I took our time on the road seeing as we were both reluctant to go back to the farm, where the mysterious stranger was supposedly dumped on the doorstep by an even more mysterious angel.

I felt horribly bad for Laurel though, being the one who had to deal with Isaac showing up and having to wait until I called her to tell her everything. The day after the whole 'shifter thing' I dialed her number and spilled my guts, about the meeting with Cas, the prophecy, my role and Isaac's in the whole thing. It definitely would have been better to tell her in person but I couldn't wait the whole ride back. She deserved to know since she was the one trapped there with him. I couldn't tell what her reaction was, though. There were a lot of 'oks' and 'go ons'. I gave her every detail I knew and she seemed to understand.

She said that Isaac stayed in one of the guest bedrooms overnight and hadn't woken up yet by the time I called. "We talked for a bit, though,'' Laurel had said. "Obviously he has no clue about this prophecy thing. Just that he was hunting a couple of demons and things went awry. About half a dozen of them, he mentioned, showed up at the house he tracked them to. That's when Cas showed up to save him.''

"So he's ok?'' I asked. Any other person wouldn't have bothered asking about the wellbeing of a stranger but I couldn't help it, I often say pointless things when I don't know what else to do.

"Yeah… uh yeah, he's fine. He's pretty quiet though. Not oddly quiet,'' she quickly added. "Can't blame him for feeling a little awkward. We talked a bit more about random stuff. At least he's not a total tool.''

After, we chatted a little, I asked how Gem was, and Laurel told me about a couple horses for sale just outside of town. She'd been thinking of getting a horse for herself and to keep Gem company. Apparently the mare and gelding were pasture-mates and were being sold together. It had me wondering if they actually were or if Laurel just really wanted both horses. Her soft heart for animals would have swamped the house with critters years ago but I had to make a strict rule against it. I liked animals but I couldn't imagine caring for more than just a horse. But now it looked like we were getting a couple more.

"So what are we going to say to the guy?'' Dean said. I opened my eyes noticing the familiar landmarks of my town outside the window. Pedestrians were outside on the main street we drove up, enjoying the sun despite the chill of the fall.

"We just talk to him,'' I replied as I looked over at him beside me. "He doesn't know anything about the prophecy, from what Laurel said. And he doesn't seem like a total douche.'"

Dean held the steering wheel in a death grip with both hands and clenched his jaw. We drove straight out of town on the main road and the buildings faded in the distance. I found myself tugging at the hem of the green t shirt under my brown leather jacket. My knee bounced nervously and I couldn't help but wonder if I looked ok. Ok enough to meet this complete stranger whom I wanted nothing to do with when I heard about our roles in this prophecy.

Laurel neglected to mention what the man looked like. Even though Dean and I made up that night after the shifter incident, I was still curious. My anger towards Isaac had since passed and turned to a yearning to meet him and see what he was like. I had no intention whatsoever to ''fulfill'' the prophecy with the dude. I couldn't help but wonder what it was about him that made him the other 'chosen one'. Or how he grew up, being a hunter and all. Or why the hell he hunted demons by himself. Only a madman would dare to do something like that. So the only things I gathered from what my friend told me about him: either he was crazy or someone incredibly good at what he did.

Dean didn't seem too eager to return home. It wasn't quite clear to me if he was weary of the strange man that was supposed to father a child with me, a child that would close the gates of hell for all eternity, or if Dean was simply jealous. I could be wrong on both. Or right and he was weary and jealous of Isaac.

"Don't worry, Dean,'' I clapped a hand on his shoulder with a sarcastic grin. "I'm sure the guy isn't that good looking anyway." He glanced over at me with an annoyed look and shook his gaze back ahead. He turned onto the dirt road that went past the house and slowed the car down significantly, obviously stalling. I could make out the white mailbox down the road. The driveway was concealed by an army of trees that hid the entire property.

Dean took his right hand off the wheel and set it down on the seat as we sluggishly made our way home. I seized the moment and took his hand in mine and gave it a tight squeeze. He looked over at me and furrowed his brows. "You really wanna do this?'' he asked.

I nodded and stared straight ahead at the mailbox. "It's gonna happen eventually. No need to put it off.''' I turned back to him and pursed my lips into a tight smile.

Dean nodded and sped up until we turned onto the driveway. It took a minute to come into view of the house. We stopped and parked beside the SUV and waited a moment, both extremely tense. I couldn't see the porch because the other vehicle was in the way, but I heard the front door open and slam shut, followed by quick thudding footsteps coming our way. I looked behind and saw Laurel rushing to my side of the impala. I opened the door when she approached. She leaned down so she could see the two of us, but seemed to freeze upon seeing my hand clasped in Dean's. I gave her a smile and she smirked back, as if knowing all along. But, hey, she probably did.

"Thank God,'' she exclaimed, taking a breath. She put a hand on top of the car and craned her neck to see us better. "It's unbelievably awkward in there.''

She stepped aside as I slid out, then closed the door behind me. "How is he?'' I asked, not knowing what else to say. Dean took the keys out of the ignition and got out as well, rounding the back of the car and standing shoulder to shoulder with me. The three of us stood closely, gaining some sort of privacy, even though the guy was in the house.

Laurel looked Dean and I before pushing her long, curly, brown hair behind an ear. "His well-being or personality?'' she asked. I raised a brow at her before she continued, knowing that I wanted to hear what kind of person this dude was. "He's a nice guy.'' She raised her voice towards the end as if trying to compensate for something.

"Nice guy?'' Dean repeated questioningly, raising his eyebrows. "That's it? Even 'nice guys' can turn out to be douchebags.'' I elbowed him in the side, sensing his not-so-subtle jealously starting to boil. He shot me an aggravated look before we focused back on Laurel for an answer.

"That's exactly it,'' she widened her eyes like we weren't getting her point before. "The dude showed up like three days ago. You expect me to know his whole life story?" She closed her eyes and looked down, stopping herself for a second after that sentence. "Well, I kind of do know his life story, that was a stupid thing to say. But he only told me how he grew up, as a hunter and all, the basics. He knows the drill. He's just like you guys. What else do you want me to say?''

"Yeah, but we're both nutcases,'' I quipped. Laurel gave me a disapproving look. Dean scoffed and leaned into me.

"Look, will you guys just come inside? He knows you're here. Probably knows we're talking about him to.'' Laurel gestured to the house impatiently. I nodded to her and she took it as a que to rush back into the house.

I turned to Dean and leaned my back against the car. He seemed transfixed in some other world. He looked off into the trees across the yard behind the house, eyes alight with thought. For a second I forgot what we were supposed to be doing. I just looked at him. Even if heavy thought weighed on his mind, he hardly showed it.

I grabbed his hand and pulled it towards me gently. He slowly came back to reality and gazed at me. He stepped right up to me until we pressed together and placed his hands on my hips underneath my unzipped jacket. Only the thin fabric of my t shirt separated our skin. If not under the circumstances, I would have wished it wasn't there.

Since I'd admitted how I really felt to him, how I felt all along, it was like things were back to normal. It had been a little over two years since we had been together like this, just us, nothing between. But now, it was like nothing had happened in that time. In three days we became totally comfortable with each other again. I was finally at home again with him. We were still taking it slow, like when we first started dating. Even though we were almost back to what we were, neither of us even thought about sex, yet. Especially since I was still on medication. I kept the pill bottles close by. I never took them every day, only when I felt like I needed them. Like today. Today I definitely needed them.

I pulled Dean a little closer to my face and laced my fingers behind his back. I smiled at him even though my heart was pounding. I knew his was, too. "Nothing's gonna change,'' I assured. "Not between us.''

Dean smirked and looked down at his hands. He circled his thumbs lightly over the shirt and let out a breath through his mouth. "I hope not,'' he started then dropped his voice to just above a whisper. "Feels like I just got you back.'' He didn't raise his head. He just focused on caressing my hip bones with his thumbs, seeming either sad or a little shy.

I put one of my hands on his cheek, brushing over the stubble. He lifted his head and looked at me with a soft expression. "Ya never really lost me,'' I clarified. "Not to be all chick-flicky, though. I'm not goin' anywhere.'' I smiled warmly.

"Good,'' he stated and leaned his forehead against mine. I slid my palm from his cheek to the back of his neck along with the other hand. We stood there for a moment, his hands on my hips and mine behind his neck, like we were slow dancing but neither of us moved.

We both pulled away at the same time, looking into each other's eyes. I leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "Let's do this,'' I murmured before we let each other go. Dean nodded nervously and looked behind me at the house.

I started walking first, Dean catching up beside me. We went up the porch steps and I opened the door. I didn't see anyone right away, but after Dean closed the door I noticed a figure sitting on the couch in the living room. Laurel looked at me from the loveseat angled towards the archway where Dean and I stood.

She got to her feet and gestured a hand in our direction while looking at the man on the couch. He stood up as she said, "Isaac, this is Willa, the one I told you about. And that's Dean Winchester."

He was about the same height as Dean, still a lot taller than me, obviously. I was a little awestruck when he turned around to see us. He was gorgeous, I had to admit. He had short brown hair and piercing blue eyes, like mine. He had a strong jawline covered with a shadow of a beard, like he hadn't shave since he got here, but it was groomed to perfection. He was well built with broad shoulders and muscles, as most hunters do. He towered over Laurel, who was even smaller than me. He wore and dark blue t shirt and jeans.

"Hi,'' I said nervously as he stood there, looking at me. Not even glancing at Dean. But I did the same, too. It was hard for me not to look at him. I hated to think it to myself, but it felt like we had a sudden connection then.

"Oh, uh, hi,'' he stuttered and walked around the couch to me and Dean. He held out his hand and added, ''Isaac.'' I shook his firm calloused hand without breaking eye contact with him. "Everhart, right?'' I nodded and he grinned. "My parents always talked about your family. Your parents were legends.''

I smiled back at him, glad to know that he knew of my parents. "Thank you,'' I replied. "Uh,'' I waved my hand to Dean beside me. "Dean Winchester,'' I introduced to Isaac who shook Dean's hand as well. Dean put on a happy face even though I knew how awkward he was feeling.

"I think my dad actually knew your parents," Dean commented. I wouldn't have expected him to make conversation, but here he was. "Evelyn and Peter? Marshallson?'' Dean put his hands in his pockets and furrowed his brows as he waited for an answer.

Isaac's eyes widened slightly. "Yeah. You ever met them?''

"No,'' Dean shook his head. "Wish I did though. My dad, he used to hunt all the time with old friends. Mentioned your parents quite a bit. Damn good at what they did, he said. How are they?''

Isaac lowered his head and smiled slightly. "Small world, I guess.'' He pondered for a few seconds before going on. "My dad died a few years ago. I'm just glad he taught me all he knew.''

"I'm sorry,'' I offered.

He put his hands in his pant pockets. "My mother still hunts with me, sometimes. Only on tough jobs. She's usually at home, doing research and stuff to help out.'' He blew out a breath and looked around.

"Let's sit down,'' I said. "I'm exhausted.'' The boys nodded and we headed over to the living room. I sat on a loveseat with Dean while Isaac sat back down on the couch and Laurel plopped down on the lazy boy across from us.

"You know why you're here?'' Dean asked Isaac.

"Cas told me it was safe here,'' he began. "I was hunting a crossroad demon in Tennessee. I got it in a trap and was about to finish it when about half a dozen of them showed up, said I was valuable. They didn't just kill me or anything. They tried to take me when Cas showed up and zapped me back to my place. He said it wasn't safe anywhere but here.'' He stared around to each of us with a kind of disbelieving look on his face. "I've dealt with angels before. Anyone wanna tell me what I'm really doing here?''

I had to hand it to him, he was smart. Not that I was expecting a complete idiot, but he _was_ right in suspecting that he wasn't here for that particular reason. And he probably couldn't guess in a million years why he actually was sent here. So I opted to just break it to him.

"You're right,'' I said as I leaned on the cushiony arm of the loveseat. "A little while ago we got a visit from Castiel. He told us there was a prophecy.'' I made my sentences clear so that he could understand. Isaac's brows were knitted together as he listened. "There's supposed to be a child. Not born yet, but they are destined to close the gates of hell… forever. Along with every demon.''

"A prophet saw this?" he asked. So he knew more about angels than I thought. I nodded. "If this is going to happen, then it sounds like a pretty sweet deal. But what does it have to do with me?''

I glanced over to Dean who rested his elbows on his knees and watched me. I turned back to Isaac. "It has to do with the both of us. We are the kid's parents,'' I stated.

Isaac's eyes widened in shock, taken aback. He stared at the ground in silence. I remained quiet, letting him process the news. I looked at Laurel who watched Isaac. Dean did, too. We all waited for some sort of response. Until he finally spoke. "So, we're supposed to have a kid together?''

"Takes two to tango,'' I quipped, either being an ass or harmlessly trying to lighten the mood. "Doesn't mean we have to do it, though,'' I started. "What do you think?''

Isaac took a deep breath and looked up at me. "What am I supposed to say? This is all absurd. I'm going to have a kid with a girl I just met, that's… that's just crazy. I can't even think about it."

"Doesn't mean I want to do it either,'' I chimed in. "We've all been through a hell of a lot in the past. Something this personal, prophecy or not, I don't know if I could do. No offence but especially not with a stranger. So let's just agree to leave it at that, alright? I don't want to discuss this anymore.'' Isaac nodded in agreement.

Almost like he was listening to us the whole time, Castiel appeared behind the couch. I jumped at the suddenness and bumped into Dean. Isaac leaped out of his seat on instinct and faced the angel, who cocked his head slightly.

"I see you two have met,'' he commented, glancing from Isaac to me.

"I see you haven't gotten any better at subtlety,'' I shot. Cas pursed his lips, accustomed to my sarcasm. "What the hell do you want?'' I felt Dean put his hand on top of mine, which calmed me down a little.

"I've come to tell you that I, as well as another angel, have been assigned to watch over you,'' he told us.

"What, you mean like an archangel and a prophet?'' Dean asked.

"Yes,'' the angel replied. "We will watch over the two of you and ensure that no harm comes to you.'' He gestured to me and Isaac with his head. "Until the prophecy if fulfilled." And at that, he vanished once again. I turned to Dean who looked bewildered at the spot where Castiel stood just seconds ago. Laurel closed her eyes and sighed while Isaac sat back down on the couch stiffly.

"You've gotta be kidding me,'' I grumbled. "Not even easing us into this, huh?'' Everyone looked at me. "Well… I'm going to go take care of my horse.'' I nodded to Isaac as I stood up. "Nice meeting you.''

I zipped up my jacket and opened the front door, stepping out into the cool air without looking back. I had a bad habit of doing that, leaving people in the dust. It was a default move, I guess. Something I just did when I didn't know what else to do. I knew Isaac would most likely be staying with us for a while. If things weren't so awkward in there, and that stupid angel hadn't of shown up, we could have gotten to know the guy a little better. It was always nice getting to meet other hunters.

I hopped down the front steps and walked over to the wooden fence of the field. Gem grazed at the far end on the other side. Thankfully, Laurel put his dark blue blanket on. It wasn't cold enough for a winter blanket but the fall weather called for at least a sheet.

I ducked through the fence and entered the field, raising my fingers to my lips. I blew out a long whistle, Gem raising his head immediately, perking his ears in alert. He swayed his head quickly in excitement upon noticing me and began trotting my way. I grinned at his eagerness and headed to meet him.

"Hey, my man,'' I greeted when we reached each other. He rubbed his head against my arm and snorted. I giggled and added, "I missed you, too, bud.'' I rubbed his muzzle and stroked his face up and down. He swished his tail back and forth and pawed his front hoof on the ground. "Come on, bud. Let's go for a ride, what do ya say?''

I began heading towards the gate by the barn, Gem keeping pace behind. He was the kind of horse that needed to be ridden at least every other day. Usually when I left on hunts, Laurel made sure to take him out. But I guess since Isaac showed up, she'd been more occupied with him.

I opened the gate and let Gem out. I never had to worry about him running off when I left the gate open, he always followed me anyway, hoping for treats. He trotted out and stopped at the gravel of the driveway that stretched all the way from the road, down to the barn. Gem turned around as I picked up the rope halter from the ground. He held still as I put it on him and led him to the barn. I slid open the heavy door and walked inside the spacious building. A blast of warm air welcomed and beckoned us inside. Before last winter, I had the place insulated and heated. Gem's over-sized stall at the end was more than big enough to divide into three, seeing as we were most likely getting two more horses.

"Would you like having more friends around, Gem?'' I asked him as I tethered the lead to a loop on the wall. He snorted and watched me close the door and come back to unclip his blanket. To the right of the entrance, when you walk in, is a door to a small room with a washer and a dryer for saddle pads and other things. I pulled open the door and tossed the blanket on top of the washing machine. Across from that room was another, bigger room, where I kept the tack and feed. I walked in and picked up my grooming kit from the ground.

Thinking about the two horses, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Laurel. _"Come_ _out to the barn. I wanna talk about those horses.''_

I felt a buzz a second later and read_, "One sec.'' _I huffed with a smirk, thinking that the only way she could have replied so quickly was if she were already on here phone or waiting anxiously for something to happen to get her out of the house. And her coming out here, would leave Dean alone with Isaac. I had nothing against Isaac. He seemed like a pretty down to earth guy, from observing him and hearing him talk. I just had no idea what Dean thought of him. I knew for sure he was impressed about who Isaac's parents were and how they knew John. At least Dean showed some interest in that.

I began to brush off Gem's coat when I heard the door open behind me. Laurel entered, zipping up a green jacket. "So?'' she asked. "What do you think of the guy?'' She came over and pulled a scotch mint out of her pocket, holding it under Gem's mouth to let him eat it.

"I thought we were here to talk about the horses,'' I smiled smugly. I moved to Gem's other side and began brushing his neck. "How did you get out of there anyway?''

"Oh, I just left,'' she stated. I raised a brow at her. "Yup. Dean and Isaac were swapping war stories in the living room. I know how Dean probably feels about the guy, but you know hunters. One asked about a case, the other answered, then they started laughing and continued talking. Meanwhile, I just sat there. Thank God you texted me.''

I smiled and continued brushing. "I know how Dean feels about this, too. He didn't wanna come home today.''

"You guys together again, huh?'' Laurel asked…more like assumed.

"Yeah, yeah, gawk all you want,'' I retorted playfully.

"No, no, I just know things.'' She took out a comb from the grooming kit and started brushing Gem's mane. "I know how much you two love each other. Don't get mad, but I knew how much you needed him when he was gone. I didn't even need to see him to know how much he needed you, too. I'm just really happy for you guys.''

My spirits lightened a little bit after she said that. "Thanks,'' I said. "I feel better about myself now than I did these past two years.'' Laurel grinned knowingly and I changed the subject. "Now, about those horses. Tell me about them.''

Laurel moved on to untangle Gem's tail before saying, "Mare and Gelding. The mare's a seven year old thoroughbred and the male's a nine year old Friesian.''

"A Friesian?'' I questioned, raising, my brows in surprise. "Why on earth would they sell a Friesian?'' I always loved those horses. They're massive, black beauties. When I think of a Friesian I see the long black mane and tail and thick feathers above their hooves.

"The owners are moving and can't bring them,'' Laurel answered. "They're selling them for next to nothing. They live just on the other side of town."

"So, what colour is the thoroughbred?''

"Light bay. No markings.''

"They have names?'' I tossed the brush back into the kit and pulled out the hoof pick.

"Mare's name is Cora.''

"Cute,'' I commented.

"You're gonna love this one, then,'' Laurel smirked mischievously.

I looked at her curiously. "What?''

"Aero,'' she said. My brows knitted together questioningly. "Like Aerosmith,'' she added and laughed. "But it's Aero, for short."

"That's fucking awesome,'' I grinned, finishing the last hoof and standing up straight. "Dean will love that.''

"I think you should give him to Dean, then,'' Laurel put the comb away and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

"What? I thought you'd want the Friesian.''

She shook her head mildly and added, "I think the mare is more suited for me. They're both trained extremely well. And I can take care of the three of them when you guys go on hunts.''

"You're still trying to convince me?'' She shrugged in response. "Alright. You win.'' I put an arm on top on Gem's back and leaned on it. "When do we pick them up?''

Laurel grinned widely and said, "Thursday.'' That was two days from now.

I looked at her with a little bit of surprise and swatted her arm playfully. "You already made the deal, didn't you?'' We both laughed together for several seconds. "Well, you better be coming with me to get them then.''

"Will do,'' she chuckled and headed for the door. She closed it behind her and left me alone with Gem.

"Can you believe that?'' I whispered to him and untied the lead before taking him outside. I was still a little drained from the last hunt, not to mention I still had a small bruise on my head from when the shifter hit me. So, I wasn't really in the mood to get completely tacked up. I led Gem over to the stump and tied the end of the lead rope to the halter to make reins. I jumped on the stump ad swiftly vaulted onto his back.

I rode him on the lawn across the driveway from the field and the barn. I walked and trotted him in tight circles, working his back leg muscles. We weaved through the trees several times and cantered around the full perimeter of the lawn a few times on each side to get an even workout.

After, when it started to get dark, I put him in his stall for the night with fresh hay and food. I kissed his nose and headed back into the house. I heard Laurel laugh from the kitchen and Isaac's voice. Not seeing Dean anywhere, I hung my jacket on one of the hooks by the door and headed upstairs to change.

Upon entering my room and turning on the light, I saw my duffel bag from the trip on my bed. _Dean must have brought it up_, I thought. I quickly unpacked it and put my things away before changing into a pair of pale blue pajama shorts and a black tank top.

Other than the excitement of meeting Isaac and the two horses Laurel and I would be getting, something weighed on my mind. It had something to do with the prophecy, but more to do with my past, and what happened to me when I was pregnant all those years ago. It was a fear I carried with me since but never bothered to think about, because I never had to. The thought only hit me now, like a freight train, really.

I opened my bedroom door and stepped out into the dark hallway. I saw the light shining from Dean's room at the end. I quietly tip-toed across the wooden floor and paused before the door frame. I peeked inside and saw Dean sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed with his laptop before him. I timidly knocked on the wall and saw his eyes shoot up at me.

"Hey,'' he spoke gruffly. He closed the laptop and stood to put it on the desk.

"I need to talk to you,'' I said quietly. I couldn't help the worried look I gave him. He paused when he saw it, then came over and beckoned me inside. I stepped in to the dimly lit, dark green room.

Dean shut the door behind me and I felt myself relax a little bit. I sat on the edge of his bed and waited for him to join me. I ran a hand through my hair and pulled it over to one side.

"What's wrong?'' Dean inquired. I shifted so I could face him and see him better. His eyes were filled with worry, which made me want to say that nothing was wrong, so he wouldn't have to look like that.

"There's something that came to mind a few minutes ago. I've thought it before but not often. But with this prophecy thing, it just hit me.'' I knitted my hands together to stop them from shaking. "I know neither of us wanted to talk about it since it happened, and we promised that we wouldn't.''

Dean raised his brows, knowing immediately what I was hinting at. "It's ok if you want to talk about it,'' he admitted.

I felt tears rushing in line, waiting to spill, but I managed to hold them back for now. "What happened, happened. There's no changing it. We lost our baby." I took a deep, uneasy breath as I recalled the events. Dean closed his eyes in regret. We both remembered, I more than him. Because he was already gone when it happened. But Dean didn't need to remember specifics to know the brutality of it.

I was about eight months pregnant. Dean and Sam went with Ruby to stop Lilith while I waited behind in safety. But when they found out it wasn't Ruby, but Lilith, I heard their screams. I ran despite my condition, and tore open the doors to see Sam pinned on the wall. Lilith smiled coldly as Dean screamed on the ground, being torn apart by the Hellhounds. Sam saw me standing in the doorway, screaming at the sight of Dean, who by then was dead. Sam yelled for me to run but I was frozen in shock. That's when Lilith laughed and sent the hounds after me. They ripped me open and I couldn't forget the pain I felt.

I blacked out after that, then woke up seven months later in the hospital. My child died before it was born, and Dean was dying over and over again in hell. I was still recovering and going through therapy when Dean came back. I was staying at Bobby's, under his close eye as well as Sam's. Dean was shattered when he found out. Then, we agreed to never speak of it again. It wasn't until about a year later that I asked the angel, Castiel, to make the scars on my stomach disappear, so I would never have to look at them again. Although, for two years after that, I still had horrible pains, which told me I wasn't healed on the inside. I never told anyone about that, not even Dean.

"Cas healed the scars on the outside,'' I began, looking Dean in the eye. "But for a long time after that I still had pains, bad pains. It was never healed on the inside. To be fair, I only asked him to get rid of the scars so I couldn't see them. He probably never knew that there was worse damage underneath."

"Why wouldn't you tell me about it?'' Dean asked, shocked. "You could have told someone and we'd get it fixed.''

"You can't fix something like that. It was too bad. I guess it was a way of punishing myself.''

"God, Will. Why do you do shit like that? You don't always have to suffer in silence.'' He raised his voice which made me close my eyes and shake my head.

"It's over, they didn't last long. I thought it healed itself since then.'' I shifted and scooted an inch closer to Dean. "This has nothing to do with the prophecy. I do want to have kids, one day.'' That's when a couple tears fell from my eyes and into my lap. "I don't think I can. I don't know if I can ever have kids.''

I kept from crying as Dean pulled me into his arms and I wrapped mine around him. The crook of his neck cradled my face as he rubbed slow circles on my back. "It's ok,'' he said. "You can always get it fixed.''

I leaned away from him and nodded, "Yeah, you're right. It's just a scary thing, you know? The one thing I knew I wanted to do since I was little, and right now I probably can't do it. The thought of not being able to have kids just makes you feel kind of isolated. "

"I understand,'' Dean comforted. "We can talk to Cas when you want.''

"Sure, yeah. Just, not now. I want to take a break. Stay at home for a while. Um, Laurel and I have to go do something in town in a couple days anyway.''

"Yeah, sure,'' Dean nodded. I squeezed his hand and got up off the bed. I opened the door and paused when he said, "Thank you. For telling me.''

I glanced over my shoulder. "I don't want to keep secrets anymore.'' He gave another nod and I motioned to leave but stopped myself. I turned around, holding the doorframe with a hand. "You know, you don't have to stay here. In this room, I mean.'' I gave him a smile to let him know I meant it.

Since Sam stayed at the Campbell base, we only got motel rooms with one bed seeing as it was cheaper anyway. Sleeping in the same bed with Dean didn't bother me before, especially not now. I slept across from him that night that we had the shifter baby. I guess it was stupid to assume that I'd find Dean making himself comfortable in my room when he had his own. But I guess he thought it was a boundary or something.

"I'll be right there,'' he spoke with an upwards twitch in the corners of his mouth.

I headed back to my room and turned off the overhead light, leaving the small lamp on the nightstand on. I pulled my laptop out of the desk drawer and put it on the bed. I pulled the sheets back and went to the side by the wall so Dean could get in. I propped up the pillows and opened my laptop beside me, pulling up a movie and waiting for Dean. A few minutes later he entered the room and closed the door behind him, wearing blue boxer shorts and a black t shirt. He hopped in bed and brought the covers over him.

He smiled eagerly at the laptop screen. We always used to watch movies like this in bed. "What are we watching?'' he asked.

"Lord of the Rings,'' I smirked over at him.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Of course, why did I even ask?'' He leaned over to the lamp and turned it off, leaving us in the darkness, save for the light of the screen.

_**Thursday**_

Yesterday, we spent the day with Isaac. The four of us just watched TV, talked, told stories, laughed. I learned that Isaac was a pretty funny guy, cracking jokes here and there, making even Dean chuckle. Isaac told us about his mother, who was at home in Wisconsin. Apparently, his parents met on a hunt, like Dean and I had. Isaac's mother was the only other person he had left in his life. I caught him on the phone with her that morning, telling her everything. I even overheard him laugh and say, "Yeah, I'm sure they'd love to meet you.''

I woke up before Dean did, as usual (I don't know why I chose to sleep next to the wall for the second night in a row). I noticed that Dean was facing me when I opened my eyes. He snored softly, clearly not waking up anytime soon. I pushed the blankets away from me and scooted to the end of the bed. I tried to be as quiet as I could when I went to the closet and stripped down to my underwear, hoping that Dean wouldn't wake up just then. I put on a clean bra and a red knitted sweater with black jeans. Lately, I'd been in the fall kind of spirit. I grabbed a pair of socks and slid my phone into my back pocket, heading for the door.

I crept down the stairs, careful not to wake Laurel or Isaac if they, too, were still sleeping. I was used to getting up early every morning to take care of Gem and turn him out. I wanted to be able to inspect the door for the outside shelter in the field to accommodate the two new horses we were getting today. There was no time to build three separate stalls in the barn so I wanted to make sure the shelter's doors could open and close. Dean had no idea. I hoped to surprise him with Aero.

I put on the socks and boots and jogged down to the barn, tying my hair in a loose ponytail on the way. I fed Gem in the cross-ties so I could muck out the stall. I turned him out in the field and he decided to follow me to the shelter. It was attached to the barn but had no entrance inside. It was build inside the field so Gem could stay outside during the summers. There were two doors about as tall as a horse's chest, so they could still see outside. The doors, now, however, were tied to the sides of the structure with baler's twine, untouched for almost a year.

I cut the twine with a pair of scissors I got from the barn and swung the doors to test them. Smiling because they were still in good condition, I closed them and pat Gem on the nose before heading back to the house. Once inside, I went to the kitchen and found Laurel pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Upon seeing me, she smirked and grabbed another mug from the cupboard. "When do we leave?'' she asked, handing me the warm mug.

"Around nine, I guess,'' I said, glancing at the clock on the stove, which read 8:36. "They said 9:30, right?''

"Yeah,'' Laurel responded. "No idea why someone would want to do this in the morning but I guess they're busy later.''

We passed the time by chatting about how to set up the stalls and when to get new tack for the horses. We put our dishes by the sink and decided to go out behind the barn to check the truck and trailer. The truck was never really used much, other than to get hay. The trailer was never used, actually. I still drove the truck once in a while and took it to the shop to get tune ups. The trailer, we washed out every spring and fall.

I put the key into the ignition and felt the old white truck roar to life. Laurel was in the trailer, making sure everything was ok. I watched her in the side mirror as she closed the metal door. She came around and got into the passenger seat, unable to contain her excited smile.

I turned on the old radio and flipped through the channels. Upon hearing _Crazy Train_ by Ozzy Osbourne, I turned up the volume and whispered, "Yes.'' Laurel chuckled and leaned an elbow against the window. "Let's get some horses.'' I drove the truck around the barn and onto the gravel of the drive way.

As we slowly passed the house, I saw Dean standing on the porch with a mug in his hand, watching us with a confused look. I casually flashed him the peace sign before continuing to the road. I followed Laurel's directions to the other side of town where we arrived at a farm-more like a huge equestrian facility.

An older man waited for us on the side of the driveway. I rolled down the window and greeted him with a smile. "Just follow the driveway down to the barn, you'll see it,'' he said, pointing ahead of the truck.

"Thank you,'' I grinned and drove the truck down to a big riding stable. I parked in front of the giant front doors and got out of the truck.

A woman, who I assumed was the man's wife, showed me and Laurel inside to where we saw the two horse in stalls. "This is Aero,'' she opened the stall door to reveal the massive Friesian gelding, groomed and gorgeous. She put a halter on him and passed the lead off to me as she led him out.

"He's beautiful,'' I marvelled, stroking his long, smooth neck. He lowered his head to sniff me and rubbed his head up and down on my chest a few times. I giggled and moved his thick forelock away from my face.

"He's a bit of a puppy dog, that one,'' the woman commented and opened the stall door. "And this is Cora.'' She clipped the mare up handed her over to Laurel, who stroked the horse's face and smiled brightly.

We settled both horses into the trailer and gave the woman an envelope, containing the payment for them. She wrote a receipt for the horses and handed me a small folder with the papers containing their information. She bid us farewell with a big smile and waved as we made our way back to the road. I waved to the man as we passed him again, passing another truck and trailer that was heading down to the barn.

"Must be having a blowout sale or something,'' I chuckled and turned the truck to head home. Laurel chewed on her thumb nail with a large grin and looked ahead at the road. I felt happy for my friend and overly excited to get back home and see the look on Dean's face.

When we got home, I stopped the truck in front of the house and said, "I'm gonna take them down to the barn, go get Dean. Don't tell him anything.''

Laurel nodded quickly and got out to run inside the house. I took the truck down the drive and stopped in front of the barn. Putting it in park, I took the keys and put them in my pocket. When I got out, I saw Laurel and Dean starting to walk my way. I could tell he was confused by the furrowed brows and slightly parted mouth.

"The hell is this?'' he declared, approaching me.

I opened the doors to the trailer, revealing the rumps of the two horses. With Laurel's help, I pulled down the ramp, while Dean stood there, bewildered. I slid into the trailer and untied Aero's lead from the wall. I pushed his chest and he slowly backed onto the ramp and out of the trailer.

I led him over to Dean and said, "This is Aero.'' Dean still looked at me with confusion. "His name's actually Aerosmith but…'' I looked at the gelding, who reached his nose over to Dean and nuzzled his jacket pockets. "Call him Aero for short."

"You got more horses?'' he questioned with raised brows, glancing at Laurel, who brought Cora out of the trailer to graze beside it.

"It was her idea,'' I whispered and jerked my chin over to Laurel.

"You needed a new horse?'' Dean pet the gelding's big head.

"Nope,'' I sighed. "He's yours.'' I stared at Dean's face, waiting for that reaction.

He smiled quickly but he replaced it with a shy frown. "You're kidding me,'' he accused.

"I promise you, I'm not.'' I slung my arm over Aero's neck as head chewed on the grass at our feet. "Now we can go on the trails together."

Dean lifted my chin with his hand and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. "Thank you,'' he murmured. He stepped back to see the horse. "Aerosmith, huh?'' he chuckled and I laughed along with him.

"At least they had good taste,'' I mentioned. We put the horses in the field with Gem, whom they quickly befriended. We left as the three of them started grooming and nipping at each other playfully.

Later, Isaac and Laurel watched a movie inside. Dean and I stood on the lawn beside the house, practicing our boxing. Dean was a decent fighter but I was the one who bothered taking boxing classes when I was a teenager, orders of my parents. Dean wrapped my hands securely so I wouldn't hurt my knuckles punching the thick pads he had on his hands.

Quickly, I shot a combo of punches left and right. Dean watched through a narrowed gaze, accustomed to helping me train like this. "One, two, one,'' he ordered. I obliged and threw hard punches to the pads. "One, two,'' he said. I delivered the first throw and ducked when he swiped one of his arms over my head. I gave him the next hit after.

We practiced like that for about twenty minutes, throwing in come kick-boxing as well. I picked my water bottle off the ground and took a sip while Dean took off the pads and tossed them aside. I moved to head back to the house when I playfully bumped into Dean's shoulder. He opened his mouth and gave me a cocky look.

"You're gonna regret that,'' he said.

I widened my stance and smirked mischievously at him, letting my arms fall loosely to my sides. "How's your ground work these days?''

He scoffed and turned to walk away but, with incredible speed, turned and wrapped his arms around me. I put my legs behind me to get leverage and pulled my arms up between my face and his chest. I pushed on him with all my strength but he didn't budge. He tried to twist me around to get me on the ground but I wriggled out and put my arms around him. I locked a leg behind one of his and started to push again, hoping to trip him.

"You wanna go, you little punk?'' he said with a laugh but lost his balance when he did. I managed to push him down to the ground, landing on top of him. But he swiftly turned me over on my back, his strength dwarfing mine. I wrapped my legs around his back and locked my heels together, not letting him escape. He put a forearm down on my chest and moved to pin my wrist with the other.

I couldn't help but laugh through the whole ordeal but I wasn't about to let him win. I leaned to the left and got both of my arms up between his neck and shoulder. I brought my right arm around the back of his neck and got him in a headlock. With my other arm, I tried to grab his shoulder across his back so I could swing myself behind him.

Dean still had an arm around me so he sat up to his knees, taking me with him, and grabbed the arm around my back with his other. He pulled and yanked me back down to the ground. My legs unhooked and fell limply. While I still lay stunned, Dean got back on top and pinned my arms above my head.

"Give?'' he asked, panting and raising his brows.

I laughed through heaving breathes and replied, "Yeah… I give.'' I paused upon seeing our position. His face was inches from mine, his hips firmly nestled between my legs, his entire body pressed against mine. The weight was crushing but it felt good.

Dean noticed to and let go of my arms, fumbling to get up. "Sorry,'' he stumbled. I quickly grabbed the collar of his shirt before he got too far away and slowly brought him back down.

"It's ok,'' I whispered and slid a hand behind his head and I pressed my lips to his. He froze for a second, stunned. But then, all of his weight came back down on me as he brushed a thumb across my cheek. It lasted several moments of our lips pressed firmly together until Dean planted his hands on either side of my head. My thighs clung to him, not wanting to let him go. He kissed me again, more passionately, his tongue breaking the barrier and exploring my mouth. For several minutes each kiss became more heated and urgent.

My hands found their way under his shirt and started to pull him tighter against me until I heard the front door slam shut. Laurel's voice followed, calling out our names. I quickly pushed Dean off, who didn't seem to hear Laurel. He jumped to his feet and helped me up in a matter of seconds before Laurel peeked her head around the corner of the house.

"Dinner's ready," she said innocently.

I went over to my water bottle and picked it up casually, praying that Laurel didn't see anything. "We'll be right in,'' I told her. She mouthed 'ok' to herself and disappeared around the corner. I awkwardly turned to Dean who laughed quietly to himself with a lowered head and hands on his hips. "Not funny.'' I picked up one of the punching pads and chucked it at him. "_Punk_.'' He caught the thing easily and came over to pick the other one up at my feet. He quickly kissed me on the cheek before I could say anything else and headed towards the house, looking over his shoulder with a cocky grin.

I shook my head and followed him. Dean's phone buzzed in his back pocket when we got to the porch. He took it out and read what I guess was a text. "It's Sam,'' he said. "He's coming tomorrow with a new case.''

"Yippie,'' I replied sarcastically, opening the door.

_**Laurel's POV**_

I crossed my arms, trying to keep warm in the cold night air. My flashlight shone on the gravel of the driveway, providing the only light in the pitch black. I waited and made sure that everyone was asleep before coming out here. Pulling my hat to cover my ears more, I reached the end of the driveway and stood by the mailbox. The road we lived on was quiet so no one would see us.

"Castiel?'' I called out, my breath swirled out in front of me. I shivered, hoping that this would be quick. The angel appeared beside me, causing me to gasp and jump. "Stop doing that!'' I whispered harshly, turning to face him.

He ignored what I said. "Have you placed the hex?" he asked, more like demanded by the urgent tone of his voice.

"Yeah,'' I crossed my arms. "Yeah, it's set.'' I walked over to where the driveway and the road met, Castiel following beside me. I raised my hand and waved it slowly across the line, revealing a streak of light blue light that quickly disappeared after I touched it. "Only I can do that, just to make sure it's there,'' I informed him. The angel looked the invisible shield up and down with curiosity. "It's invisible, undetectable. They won't know about it. No angels allowed, either. Only you and her.''

"It's around the whole property?'' he inquired.

I nodded. "It's draining from my energy, though. I'm not strong while this is up. If anything happens I won't be much use.''

Cas looked at me through the dark and pulled something out of his pocket. "This is a relic from one of our vaults,'' he said. I shined the flashlight on the object he had in his hand. It was a necklace with a gold lace and a flat blue gem the size of a thumbnail. "It was used as an energy source by its last owner. Wear it, and it will help you.'' He handed it over and I took it gratefully. I put the chain around my neck and tucked the gem inside my shirt.

"Thanks,'' I mentioned.

"If you can…'' Cas stepped closer to me, making me wonder what he was about to say. "Please convince Willa to think about the prophecy. She needs to know how important this is to us. Isaac, too.''

I pursed my lips before saying, "Look, I can help you guys protect Willa. I've been doing it for years. But I'm not going to try and convince her to do it. I'm her friend, I need to support her and what she wants. If you want me to turn on her, I can't help you. I'll help in whatever way you need. But I have to be there for her.''

Cas looked to the ground, disappointed but nodded nonetheless. "I'll be in touch.'' Before I could so much as say 'ok', he vanished, leaving me alone in the dark.

**Thanks for reading the new chapter! For once I've managed to update on schedule. Hopefully I can keep up the pace. Thanks for the follows and favourites, I really appreciate it!**

**-SkyQueen1111**


	8. Other Side of the Coin: Part 1

_**You Know My Name - Chris**_** Cornell**

* * *

**Willa**

I woke up at the usual 7 am, trapped between Dean and the wall on my side of the bed. He had his back to me but was lying directly in the middle of the bed, pushing against me. I smirked and started to work my way out from under the covers, careful not to wake him. I scooted to the end of the bed and picked up my laptop from where Dean had put it on the nightstand. Last night we had watched the first X men movie and started the second before I fell asleep about half way through.

I took the laptop over to the desk and plugged it in to charge before heading over to the closet. I opted for warm black leggings and a loose grey dress that stopped a couple of inches above the knee. I slid on a burgundy wool cardigan that was about the same length as the dress. I stood in front of the mirror and brushed out my hair before tying half of it back and leaving the rest down in its natural loose waves.

I was disconnecting my phone from its charger and about to head downstairs when Dean gasped and shot up from the bed. My head whipped around to see him sitting up, an arm braced on the pillow behind him. I swiftly went over to him and sat on the edge of the bed. I didn't touch him or reach out to him. He needed to calm down first and realise where he was, otherwise he could lash out. I had plenty of experience coaxing him and his brother out of nightmares in the past. The key was to let them remember that it was all just a dream first.

Dean had looked around the room and set his eyes upon me before his breathing calmed. He ran a hand through his hair and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Tell me about it," I told him. It had been so long since I'd seen him wake up with a terrified look on his face. But the routine still stuck with me.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. I noticed that his chest and face were slightly sweating, meaning that he was probably having this nightmare while I was getting ready. I felt a pang of guilt for not noticing before.

"The night that we went after the Djin," he began, "the one got me and I started having a vision…" He trailed off, clearly not wanting to continue.

"And?" I pressed. It wouldn't help if he didn't say what was actually in the vision. He knew as well as I did that I couldn't help him if he didn't tell me.

"I saw you," he continued. "You were being held by Lilith. You said that I couldn't save you. Then Lilith cut your throat." He paused again, not wanting to go on but he did anyway. "When I looked down beside me I saw a crib. Inside there was a baby… but it didn't have a face, just… claw marks. I looked up at the ceiling and there you were, being burned. That's when I woke up."

My heart sank for him. I knew the pain he was feeling. I had countless nightmares myself of him, Sam and Laurel being killed by the same demons we used to hunt. Nightmares were a part of our job. But Dean's was more personal. He had already been dead when the hellhounds attacked me but I knew that he had pictured it over and over again in his head. The Djin had brought out his worst fear in front of him that night. I remember how he looked afterward, lost and distant.

"That was what the Djin made you see," I stated softly.

"What did you see?" he asked, looking up to meet my gaze.

I didn't look away when I told him. "Christian gave me the cure before I blacked out. It was close though." Dean looked down, relieved. I leaned towards him a bit. "I already know what my worst fear is." He looked back up, curiosity peaking beneath his hazel eyes, brows knitted together. "I used to see it every night when I went to sleep. It's losing you. Losing the people I care about when I still could have helped them. That's why I sent you away, because I thought it would be safer." The corners of my mouth twitched up. "But you," I began, pushing Dean's shoulder playfully, "you never listen to anyone. You just had to go out and start hunting again." Dean smirked in response. "Nightmares are just nightmares, they don't hurt us if we don't let them."

After that I went downstairs and made some coffee, bringing a mug up to Dean. I told him that I was going to take care of the horses and he replied that he would be down shortly. I put on my usual boots and opened the front door, smiling as I stepped outside into the cool autumn air. The smell of the trees and changing weather always gave me a comforting feeling. The leaves had changed from yellow to deep orange, only the odd green pine disturbing the pattern.

"Good morning," a friendly voice said from beside me.

I looked to my right, smile still plain on my face, to meet Isaac. He sat on the cushioned swing, casually looking out at the property. He had been here almost a week and we had gotten to know him pretty well. Despite hating him before I even met him due to his supposed role in the prophecy, I actually kind of liked the guy.

"Morning," I replied. "Any plans today?" I walked down the stone steps and went along the edge of the porch before stopping to hear his response.

"Well I haven't heard from our angel friend, so I assume I'm still under house arrest," he answered, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.

"I never took you for one who actually listens to angels," I quipped, glancing sideways at him.

"Depends what you guys have to say." He jerked his chin slightly towards me. "If you go on any more hunts I'm happy to tag along. You don't have to worry about me, I can look out for myself."

"All talk," I joked, giving Isaac a mischievous look. "Haven't seen you in action yet. What makes you think you're all that."

He chuckled with a bright white smile. "I don't. I've gotten myself nearly killed more times than I can remember. But I've been hunting by myself since my father died. I can get out of sticky situations."

"You're still quite the mysterious guy, Isaac Marshallson." I put my hands on my hips. "I don't even know what your favorite book is."

"Odd thing to know about someone you just met," he grinned with furrowed brows. "But it's _Call of the Wild_, if you're so curious."

I raised my eyebrows in slight surprise. "Jack London kinda guy, huh? I'm more of a Tolkien fan myself."

"He's a close second actually," Isaac added. "You read any George R.R. Martin?"

I couldn't help but be a bit shocked. "Of course I have. I never took you for a fantasy guy. Jack London yeah, but Lord of the Rings _and_ Game of Thrones? You're more interesting than I thought."

"I try, you know," he laughed and I joined.

When Dean walked out the front door, nodding curtly towards Isaac who mimicked in response, I decided to wrap up the short conversation.

"As far as things to do, we've got tons of movies and books. Whatever books aren't already on the shelves in the living room are on even more shelves in the basement." I winked at Isaac, to which Dean tensed by my side and rolled his eyes.

I heard thumping from inside the house, knowing exactly what it was so I continued. "And Laurel is leaving for work in t minus-"

I checked my watch just as Laurel burst out the door wearing her work uniform, carrying her apron in one hand and half open bag in the other. One of her shirts nearly fell out of the bag but she caught it quickly as she ran down the steps to her car. "I'm running late!" she exclaimed.

"—ten seconds," I finished, smiling proudly at myself while giggling at Laurel who scrambled into the car. She cursed and I jogged to the front door, opened it and grabbed her car keys from the hook beside the doorframe. I went to the edge of the porch just as she caught up and tossed them down to her. She gave me a thankful look before darting back to the car and driving off.

"She's either one step ahead of everyone or six steps behind," I commented, watching the dust kicked up from the car settle on the driveway. I shrugged and went back to Dean who merely shook his head at what just happened. I waved to Isaac who looked down the drive at Laurel who was now long gone. "The day is yours," I told him and took Dean's hand as we headed down to the barn.

* * *

It was about 9:30 when Sam called Dean. We had fed and groomed the three horses. I decided to lunge them today rather than ride since I remembered that Sam had a new hunt for us and we were most likely leaving by the afternoon.

I held onto the long lunge line, Aero at the end of it as he trotted around me in a large circle. I had meant to call a friend to help build a round pen that would make it easier to lunge but I hadn't gotten around to it. Having already exercised Cora and Gem I decided to take my time with Aero, letting him extend as he trotted and cantered to properly stretch out his muscles. Even though the three horses would never show, at least Cora and Aero, I still wanted to give them the best care I could. I had started manually taking their front legs and stretching them out myself before lunging them. I scheduled their vaccines and deworming for the next month along with Gem's. I knew Laurel had said that she wanted to do everything for Cora herself but I couldn't help it.

Aero picked up a steady canter around me and I followed him slowly. I noticed Dean leaning against the barn with his phone to his ear. I assumed that he was talking to Sam. He raised his brows quickly here and there, cynical. I imagined Sam speaking fast on the other end, spitting out information while Dean managed to keep pace. He made faces as he listened, making me giggle.

Gradually, Aero slowed down to a walk and met up with me as I picked up the slack of the lunge line. Dean walked over and stroked Aero's neck softly. The horse nickered and pushed his muzzle against Dean's chest, pushing him back slightly but he chuckled nonetheless.

"Sam's in Easter, Pennsylvania," he brought up. "He wants us to meet him there. He's got a weird hunt he needs help with." Dean looked down at me with a raised brow, awaiting my response.

"Pennsylvania? That's almost a 19 hour drive. It better be important," I replied.

"He wouldn't have called if it wasn't," Dean said.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "I said I wanted to take a break."

"You don't have to come," Dean told me.

I leaned against Aero who had started munching on grass. "I want to do it. I was wrong about taking a break. I need to get back out there. Putting it off any longer isn't going to help. Sure those past two hunts weren't my best but it won't do me good if I stay out of the game any longer."

"You're right," Dean commented. I looked up at him, a little surprised. I thought he would have insisted that I stay home, that time off would be better. "Sam's gonna need all of us anyway."

"All of us?" I questioned. He would have just said 'us' if he meant me and him.

"We should bring Isaac with us. He could be some good help."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I wanna see what this guy's made of." Dean gave a devilish grin making me do the same.

"Glad I'm not the only one," I said before leading Aero over to the field and turning him out with the others. "Shall we go break the news?" I asked while holding out my hand.

Dean had just locked the gate when he warmly took my hand in his and started walking beside me up to the house. "Would be a shame if he died on his first hunt with us."

"Don't get any ideas, Winchester."

* * *

Two days later we arrived in Easter. Isaac had been eager to join us on the hunt when we invited him. He seemed happy to be out of the house and doing something. We packed that afternoon and I left a text for Laurel telling her about the hunt. On our way we stayed at a couple of motels, Dean taking my bag and his into the room before Isaac could enter, practically slamming both bags on one of the beds. Isaac seemed not to notice that Dean was making some sort of territorial statement. I would have told him to calm down, hating the idea of him being so overbearing but it kind of amused me how the little things Isaac did made Dean jealous. Isaac knew that Dean and I were together and picked up Dean's little hints to back off, to which he obliged no question. He was never awkward about it, fully respecting us. He even took the back seat, offering the space up front to me which I accepted.

We arrived at another motel in town where Sam was staying, having already gotten a room for the four of us. I pitied whoever had to take the couch between Sam and Isaac. Both men were giants, Sam being tall and Isaac being built like an ox. There was no way the two of them were fitting in the same bed, I doubt they wanted to either.

Sam instructed us to dress accordingly. Since we were visiting a morgue, we had to break out the FBI badges.

"Two of us are going to have to stay behind in the car," I pointed out. "We could get away with three agents but four is a little overkill."

"I'll stay back," Isaac offered while pulling out the bag which contained his suit. "Forgot a tie anyway."

Dean and I scoffed. "I'll stay, too," I stated. "I'm too lazy to get all dolled up anyway."

Dean glanced between me and Isaac suspiciously but I frowned back at him. He sighed and continued getting dressed along with Sam.

I took my usual place beside Dean in the front seat as he drove, Sam having offered to take Isaac to get better acquainted with him. I noticed the dirty look Dean gave Sam's sporty looking car.

In the Impala, we took a different route than Sam and Isaac. I looked sideways at Dean who had his jaw set but a sneaky upwards curve in the corner of his mouth.

"Go for it," I told him and braced on of my hands on the dash while holding the door handle with the other. Dean sped up and swerved around the curb, right in front of Sam's car. He parked in front of the morgue on the side of the road, Sam parking behind.

I got out of the car with Dean who walked around to my side and waited for Sam to catch up.

"Were…" Sam started with a slightly confused look. "Were you two racing me?" One of his brows shot up questioningly.

"No," Dean replied. "I was kicking your ass."

I laughed at his remark and watched the two head inside. Sitting on the hood of the Impala, I waited. After about 15 minutes Isaac joined me.

"How much longer do you think it'll be," he asked, looking at the door to the morgue.

"Depends," I answered. "Usually we just take a quick look, brainstorm on the spot, ask a few questions then leave. What's it like? Hunting by yourself?" I had wanted to ask him that for a while. Hunts for the three of us usually took a couple of days. I used to hunt by myself for a couple of years before I met the Winchesters, it took at least a week or two to solve one case on my own.

"Well I usually do all the research at home. My mother helps a lot. Then once we have a decent lead I head out and take care of it. It takes a while on your own but the job gets done."

"I used to hunt by myself," I added. "After my parents died I went out looking for the thing that killed them. Kind of trained myself as I went along. Had more close calls than I should have. Then I met the boys. Now I prefer having someone else. I've nearly died so many times I'm surprised I don't have insurance."

Isaac chuckled heartedly. "Yeah, it's too bad hunting doesn't provide that."

"It's worth it though, you know? Having that reassurance after a hunt that whatever monster you got rid of won't hurt anyone else ever again."

"True."

We made more small talk until Dean and Sam walked out of the morgue. They met up with me and Isaac where we were at the Impala. I stayed in my place atop the hood as the boys told us what they discovered.

"Police officer covered in boils," Sam stated. "Head to toe, even in his lungs. They suffocated the guy. 'Severe allergic reaction' they called it." He pursed his lips, not believing it for one second. Neither did I. It sounded crazy.

"Another officer before him practically fell apart," Dean continued. "Literally. Skin just fell off the dude's bones until he became a pile of blood and muscle. Any of this seem a little witchy to you guys?" He glanced between me and Isaac, searching for answers.

"No signs of hex work anywhere," Sam brought up.

"Both officers?" Isaac asked. Dean and Sam nodded. "There a witness?" He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yup. Officer Ed Colfax," Sam responded.

"Another officer?" I questioned, glancing between the brothers.

Dean nodded. "Saw his partner go from solid to skid mark."

"What are we waiting for?" I slid off of the car and brushed past the boys to get into the Impala.

Sam and Isaac were already heading towards the other car while Dean slid in beside me and started the engine. We headed off to Colfax's house, again taking different routes. Dean sped yet again, racing his brother like a little boy. But his time as we turned onto the street, Sam was already parked outside the officer's house.

"Dammit," I sighed. The little kid in me wanted to beat Sam as well. I t was the little games like this that made me act less my age.

I got out of the car, Dean beside me. We headed over to where Sam grinned like a cat with his hands in his pockets. Isaac remained in Sam's car.

"Real mature," Dean whined.

"Go get this over with," I told the two of them and gestured a hand toward the house in front of us.

I leaned against the hood of Sam's car with my hands in my jacket pockets. Isaac rested his chin on his arm on the car door. We both looked on anxiously as Dean and Sam stood outside the door as a man in an officer's uniform and cap answered the door. I couldn't make out what they were saying but after a few seconds I heard the officer exclaim "Don't worry about it" before he slammed the door in Sam and Dean's faces. Sam turned and gave Dean a look before he kicked in the officer's door. I tensed in shock, freeing my hands from my pockets.

"Woah," I said before jogging after them as they headed into the house. Isaac followed after the sound of the car door opening and shutting harshly.

We walked in cautiously and followed Sam's voice to find him and Dean standing in front of the officer who sat at a table. Along the way I noticed all the pictures on the wall had the people's faces scratched out. Colfax himself, eyes sunken in with exhaustion, was etching out another face while he sat at the desk. I stood beside Dean as Sam continued to question the man who only answered "Don't worry about it."

"Right," Dean said, not buying anything but going along with it anyway. "Look, Officer Colfax… Ed. We think that your partner died of unnatural causes."

We all frowned at Colfax as he scratched the top of his cap. Any sane dude would have taken it off if he had an itch on his head. I got the feeling that this dude was in some sort of trance, that it would take a lot to get him to talk.

"Uh, did he have any enemies that you know of?" Dean carried on.

Colfax grunted and looked up at him. "You might say that."

"Oh yeah?" Sam said. "Who's that?"

Colfax poured whiskey into a blue mug from the bottle sitting on the table. He did it so lazily, almost as if he were under a spell. "They both had it coming," he responded. "And I'm next. Then this will all be over. And God will be satisfied." He took a swig of whiskey, not even wincing.

"Why does God want you all dead?" I cut in, sick of not saying anything. "What did you do to deserve this?"

"Christopher Birch," Colfax said and knocked over the whiskey bottle, its contents spilling on the floor. He only sighed, looking at the spilling bottle with distain.

I watched the growing whiskey puddle on the floor, hoping that the man would pick up the bottle before it reached my boots. "Who is Christopher Birch, Ed?" I pressed.

The man only replied, "The kid with no face." While continuing to look at the spilling bottle.

"Who is Christopher Birch," Sam repeated my question. Colfax ignored him and picked up the bottle, setting it upright. "Ed!" Sam said loudly, almost yelling and making me jump.

_This isn't Sam,_ I thought while glaring at him from beside Dean.

"Christopher Birch is the kid with no face," Colfax said again. "And a planted gun." Just then, a drip of blood slid down the side of Colfax's face. Dean pointed it out to the man who only said "Damn. My head's been itching like a dirty jock." I raised my brows slightly in disgust. Immediately after, Colfax dropped onto the table, motionless.

I opened my mouth in shock while Sam went over and checked the man's pulse. He shook his head when he looked back at us.

"God dammit," I cursed. Our only lead had just died on us. I put my hands on my hips and paused upon hearing a subtle chirping sound. "You guys hear that?" I asked, looking between Sam, Dean and Isaac.

Sam lifted the cap off of Colfax's head revealing a bloody hole in the man's skull, looking like it had been chewed. Upon seeing light, half a dozen bugs crawled out slowly.

Dean backed away, looking like he was going to throw up. I thought I heard Isaac mutter "My God" in disgust. I cringed at the gory sight, my stomach churning uneasily.

"Are those locusts?" I inquired. Sam only seemed to nod in agreement, studying the creatures. "Hold on," I said before going to the man's kitchen, not really caring that I was going through the cabinet of a dead man. I pulled out a mason jar and brought it back to where the boys were. I handed the jar to Dean who looked at me with pleading eyes as he took it. "Go on," I told him and gestured towards the bugs.

He grumbled and hastily grabbed a few of the bugs, not enjoying a second of it, and shoved them into the jar. He closed the lid tightly and gave the jar to me, more like made me take it, before leaving immediately.

* * *

Later at the motel, the three boys sat at the table while I sat on the bed. Isaac and Dean looked through pictures and Sam researched on his laptop. I sat cross legged on my own laptop, going through a website about the Egyptian plagues.

"Blood, boils and locusts," I began. "Three of the more popular plagues." I looked at photos of artwork that the website had posted. They all depicted gory scenes of bloody rivers, souls being snatched from bodies, diseased looking people crying out in agony. As gory as they were, they brought my thoughts to _The Prince of Egypt_ movie.

The jar of locusts sat beside Dean on the table. He picked it up, shaking the bugs around slightly. "Any info on these things eating their way out of people's melons?"

"Negative," I replied as I opened a new tab and searched the locust plague.

"Well," Sam gestured to his computer screen with a hand. "This Christopher Birch kid was shot in the head last month after a vehicle pursuit." I looked up from my laptop, my interest peaked at this new information. "The three officers that died were the ones involved. They all filed the exact same report."

"Birch exited the vehicle with a fire arm, we were forced to shoot," Isaac read the report aloud. He shook his head at the paper in his hand.

"A faceless kid with a planted gun," I repeated Colfax's words, the gears turning in my head. "You think they killed Christopher Birch then panted the gun?"

"What a bunch of dicks," Dean said to himself, dropping the pictures he was holding onto the table.

Sam sighed. "Maybe Colfax is right. Maybe heaven hates bad cops."

"A lot more officers would be dead by now if that were the case," I reminded him. Dean nodded in agreement.

"Angels gotta have something to do now that we're post apocalypse," Sam countered.

Dean stood and went over to the counter, popping the cap off a beer. He came over and sat beside me on the bed, the cheap mattress sinking and making me nearly loose balance. I readjusted myself as Dean smirked. "Let's call Cas," he suggested. "See what he thinks."

Sam scoffed. "I've been trying to contact him for months. Nothing but a dead end."

"Sam, I told you that we talked to Cas before," I challenged. "How else do you think we found out about this prophecy thing?" I gestured a hand towards Isaac who was watching me as I spoke.

"Fine," Sam said as he leaned back in his chair. "By all means." He waved a hand in the air sarcastically.

I sighed in annoyance, at Sam and the thought of having to call on the angel. "Cas," I called out, closing my eyes. Every word I said was laced with my own sarcasm. "Cas, we need you."

Not even a second after I finished my sentence, the angel appeared behind Sam.

"See," Sam started, ignorant of the man behind him. "I told you…" Realisation dawned on his face when he saw the looks on ours. "He's right behind me, isn't he?" his lips thinned in annoyance.

The three of us actually looking at the angel nodded quietly.

"Cas, we need your help," I announced.

He shifted his gaze from Sam to me. "You shouldn't be here," he said gruffly and accusingly. I leaned back a little and frowned at how blunt he was. He turned to Isaac at the table. "And neither should you. It's too dangerous for the two of you to be hunting."

"That's not why we called you," I raised my voice, irritated by his words and a little offended. "First of all, why have you never answered Sam? He's tried to call you before. Many times apparently. He went to hell for us, he deserves answers."

"We don't know who brought Sam back from the cage, or why," Castiel answered simply.

"So," Sam stood up in front of him, "it wasn't God?"

"No one's even seen God. The whole thing remains mysterious." The angel looked up at Sam, no emotion on his face.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

Cas took a dangerous step towards him, I bristled and stood up from the bed. Dean stood as well and remained close behind me, almost as if ready to hold me back.

"What part of 'I don't know' escapes your understanding?" the angel shot calmly.

A flash of disappointment showed on Sam's face but was quickly replaced with annoyance.

"Look," Dean said from behind me. "When Sam calls, you wing your ass down here."

"I didn't come just because she called," Cas gave Dean a look. "Well, I did because Isaac and Willa should be at the farm-"

"Doing what?" I interrupted. I wanted to challenge him, make him say what he meant, make him feel bad for the position he was trying to push me into.

Cas walked over to the table. Isaac had since moved to lean against the counter with his arms crossed. "We aren't the cause of these killings," Castiel started, obviously referring to the angels. "They were committed with one of our weapons. There's only one thing that could have brought this into existence." He looked up at us. "You call it The Staff of Moses." I immediately thought of the animated movie again.

"_The_ staff?" Sam questioned in an astounded way.

Castiel picked up the jar of locusts, studying it. "It was used in a dominance display against the Egyptians as I recall."

"Yeah we get it," I cut in. "How do we find it?"

"It's not being used at its full capacity," Cas said, making me think of how it was used on one person rather than a whole city like it said in the stories. "I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect," he stated seriously.

"Yeah, no shit," I quipped. I would have laughed if he were joking. "What is it doing down here in the first place? I thought you guys had top of the line security. Heavenly CIA or some shit."

"Before the apocalypse," Cas started walking around holding the jar, "heaven may have been corrupt but it was stable. The staff was contained." He sighed regretfully. "It's been chaos up there since the war ended. In that confusion, a number of powerful weapons were… stolen."

"Wait," Dean stated, "you're saying your nukes are loose?" He stepped up beside me, eyes creased in query.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," the angel answered. He turned around and looked at us as a group. "But you've stumbled onto one of them. We must find the weapon that did this." He held up the locust jar. He hesitated a moment, one of the more human things I'd seen him do. "I need your help. Before I could interject he turned to me sharply. "Not. Your. Help," he practically scolded me. "You and Isaac need to remain out of harm's way."

"Like hell," I hissed.

**Isaac**

I clenched my fists as my arms remained crossed. Cas was right to keep us out of harm's way due to the prophecy. I honestly didn't care to be a part of it but I knew the angel was just doing his job. Willa on the other hand seemed adamant about seeing this hunt through. She and I had that in common. But I wasn't about to challenge a powerful angel.

Her eyes were wide, showing off how blue they were. It was hard to think about how regal she truly looked when she had fury written on her face. This was a woman that had been told what to do by an angel one too many times.

"Let's go," she said. "We got a lead on the boy's family, we'll go question the father." Willa picked up her jacket from the end of the bed and put it on swiftly. She packed her laptop back in her bag and shoved her phone in her jacket pocket with a huff.

"Willa, I can't let you come with us," Castiel told her firmly. The girl paused, her arms clearly tense as if she was going to hit him. "If the wrong being got their hands on you-"

"They'll what?" she interjected, provoking in any way she could.

"I think we all just need to talk this out," Dean held a hand in the air at hip level, trying to calm the water. He obviously didn't want to shut Willa down, either because he agreed with her or he didn't want to set her off.

Willa wrote what looked like the address of the house on a piece of paper and put it in her pocket. "I'll be in the car," she said sternly. She started towards the door when Castiel appeared in front of her, blocking the way.

I unfolded my arms and stood up, ready for a confrontation. Before Willa could object or say anything, Cas put two fingers on her forehead. She immediately went limp and the angel caught her, picking her up easily.

"Cas, woah!" Dean yelled at him but in a matter of seconds he had vanished, taking Willa with him.

I was just as shocked as Dean and Sam, staring at the spot that the angel and the woman were just moments before. I ran a hand through my hair, stressing about the situation. "Christ sakes," I cursed.

Dean was obviously furious. He started packing Willa's bag and his with a quickness.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked, calmly adjusted to the new situation.

"I'm going to find her wherever that feathery bastard took her," came his reply with a huff.

"No need," a grizzly voice said. It was Castiel who now stood beside me. I stepped away in surprise. The angel grabbed Willa's bag and mine with one hand and walked back over to me. I was about to step away when he grabbed my arm with his free hand. "I'm taking them home," he told Dean before flashing me back to the front porch of the farm.

He let go and handed me both duffle bags. And before I could say a word in protest he had vanished once again. I turned around with a sarcastic scoff, a little pissed that on the first hunt I got to go on with the Winchesters it was cut short by some stupid prophecy.

I went to open the door but it wouldn't budge. It must have been locked. Damn that angel for zapping me outside while Willa was probably in the house. I knocked on the door, tired but still pumping with some sort of energy.

It was Laurel who answered. She paused upon seeing me after opening the door. Her mouth parted slightly as she looked me up and down, confused. "I was wondering why Willa showed up out of nowhere," she commented. Her long brown hair was straight today, I couldn't imagine the amount of work it must have taken to get it like that. It made her hair appear even longer, reaching the bottom of where I assumed her ribs where. Her bright eyes bore into mine, asking for answers.

"Cas said that the hunt was too dangerous for me and Willa," I began, a little distracted as I took in the sliver of skin that showed between her blue tank top and grey sweat pants. "Um," I moved my eyes back up to her face, feeling sorry for staring. "Some angel relic was stolen and Cas needed Sam and Dean to help get it back. Willa was pissed so he just knocked her unconscious and brought her back here. Then me. Is she ok?"

"Yeah, yeah she's fine," Laurel answered. "He brought her upstairs to her room. She's still out cold. Uh…" she paused but then remembered that I was still standing in front of her on the porch. "Sorry, come in." I followed her inside and set the duffle bags down at the bottom of the stairs. "Coffee?" she offered extending a hand down to the kitchen as a gesture.

"Yeah, thank you," I accepted.

I sent my mother a quick text, informing her that the hunt was cancelled and I was at Willa's. I hated leaving her to worry. If I didn't tell her everything then she would have gotten in her car and I'd be the one being hunted, despite her being retired.

I put my phone on the island and took a seat on one of the stools and watched Laurel gracefully move around the kitchen, grabbing mugs and turning on the coffee maker. She pulled a box of chocolate chip cookies out of the cupboard as well, opening them and setting the box on the surface in front of me. I nodded my thanks with a smile, ever since I got here she's practically looked after me like her own family. I supposed Laurel was the kind of woman who took pride in making sure others were well and taken care of.

She handed me a mug of coffee, nodding as I said my thanks and sat down on a stool at the end of the island. She pulled the cookie box a little so that it was within arm's reach of the both of us and pulled out a cookie for herself. "So," she started, "tell me about this hunt."

"Well," I took a sip of coffee, "three police officers died. One turned into a pile of—sorry for the gross visual—a pile of bloody mush." Laurel looked down at her coffee and pursed her lips. "One from boils inside and out. The other we saw. A bunch of locusts ate their way out of his head."

Laurel cocked her head and furrowed her brows. "How do you think they got in there in the first place?" she asked innocently, like it was the most obvious question.

I chuckled suddenly at her directness. "It was caused by the Staff of Moses, according to Cas. Big heavenly, magic weapon—wait what are you doing?"

Laurel was holding the cookie, submerging it in her coffee. "Don't knock it till you've tried it, tough guy." She giggled and watched me do the same, taking a cookie and dipping it in the coffee, curious to try her odd habit.

"So Cas is taking the guys to track down who has it, before anyone else dies of a random plague." Laurel hummed in response, taking a bite of the cookie. I took a bite of mine as well, discovering that it actually wasn't that bad.

"Tried?" she started.

"…not going to knock it," I carried on in a surprised kind of way. "Not bad." I noticed the thin gold chain around her neck. I had seen her wearing it these past few days but never bothered to inquire. A small blue stone hung from the long chain, hanging as Laurel leaning over her drink. "That's a nice necklace," I finally said after taking a long look. I noticed that it complimented her blue eyes.

"Oh," she looked down at it bashfully. "Thanks."

We both jumped and looked in the direction of the hallway at the sound a particularly loud "What in hell?" A door slammed shut upstairs, Laurel and I exchanged worried glances.

"Brace yourself," she warned as a loud foot stomping made its way down the stairs and out the front door. After a moment of silence the front door opened again and slammed shut, the footsteps making their way to the kitchen.

I took a casual sip of coffee and met Willa's outraged eyes. She looked slightly surprised to see me there. I didn't blame her considering she was in dreamland when Cas brought me back. "What just happened?" she asked.

"Cas knocked you out and brought you here. He came back for me right after," I responded plainly.

Willa moaned and leaned back against the wall. "Fucking asshole," she muttered, looking stressed.

"If it makes you feel any better, Dean was pissed," I told her. She looked visibly pained and wanted to help calm her.

"Yeah," she walked away from the wall and took a seat on the opposite end of the island, "I bet he was."

**Willa**

After I had settled down, Laurel giving me a cup of coffee with a sympathetic smile, we sat in silence only speaking a few words here and there.

"Hey," I spoke up, eager to say something, or to break the quiet at least. "What do you think about getting a dog?" It had been on my mind ever since we got the horses. A dog would be useful around here to keep them safe. Even us, too.

Laurel's eyes lit up a bit. I knew she was going to say yes. She would have said yes if I told her we were buying an elephant. "Why now?" she only said, trying to hide her rush of excitement.

"I was thinking about the shifter hunt. You know, the one we were on when he got here," I waved a hand towards Isaac who was rubbing his neatly manicured beard. "At the Campbell base one of their dogs started barking and that's how we knew the shifter was there. I thought it'd be good to have one here. Just in case."

"That's actually a good idea," Isaac chimed. "Dogs have super senses, they can tell when paranormal things are around when we can't. Considering that demons were randomly trying to trap and capture me, I'd assume that they'd try the same with you." He gave me a long look. "I think it's because of the prophecy. They were trying to capture me for ransom or something, I don't know…" he trailed off, looking into the distance, his mind at work. "Anyway, a dog would be a good idea. Like a guard dog or something."

"I agree," Laurel said with a serious look. "I'll look up any for adoption in the area." We all nodded, proud that we had made some sort of useful decision while Dean and Sam were off risking their lives.

Not a moment passed before Isaac's phone rang. He picked it up swiftly and stood, walking into the hallway to answer but I could still hear what he said.

"Hey, mom—mom calm down. What's going on?" His voice gradually rose with worry. I leaned back in my seat to see down the hall. He was standing, bone straight, staring ahead at the wall. "Are you sure?" A pause. "Ok. We'll take care of it." Another pause as he listened to his mother on the other end. "No, we can take care of it. I promise it'll be ok, she's an experienced hunter." Pause. "I will. Thank you. I will. Love you. Bye." He shoved his phone in his pocket and sped back to the kitchen, splaying his hands on the table, clearly urgent.

"There's demons in Belle Valley," he announced.

_Belle Valley_. My home town. The town we were in right this second. "Oh my God," I said rather bluntly. "We have to go!"

"Hold on," Isaac caught my arm firmly as I shot out of my seat. "We need a plan. My mother got a call from one of her old friends in a couple of towns north of here. They were following the demon lead but stopped when they realised that they were headed our way. They knew that I was staying here so they called my mother."

"And?" I pushed. "Can they help us?" Electricity was running through my veins, pumping me with adrenaline. I breathed carefully, telling myself to save the energy.

Isaac merely shook his head. "They got caught up when one of the demons stayed behind. They're not leaving their town until that thing is dead."

"So it's a diversion," I declared, my chest sinking in. We were the only ones here. The only ones that could do anything.

Another nod. "It's most likely a trap. If they were heading south to Belle Valley where's the easiest entrance into town?"

I looked past Isaac to Laurel, who was no doubt thinking the same think as me. "Wabi Bridge," we said in unison.

* * *

After talking our plan through over and over in the kitchen, we headed to our rooms to dress properly before meeting in the basement to arm ourselves. Since the demons would most likely be wanting me and Isaac, we agreed to both confront them if we found them at the bridge. Demons were smart. They knew that Isaac's mother's friend was a hunter. They knew that he knew Evelyn. They dangled themselves in front of him so that he would call her. Then one of them would stay behind and torment the poor man so that he couldn't help us. I prayed that the guy wasn't dead by now.

They were probably waiting for us in the open, waiting to spring one of their traps. While Isaac and I were going to meet them, Laurel was going to drive across another, smaller bridge down the river and come up behind the bastards with an arsenal of holy water grenades.

I met Isaac and Laurel at the bottom of the stairs. Both had dressed in black, like me. Laurel had braided her hair out of her face. She hadn't hunted in so long but seeing her before me, ready to fight made me smile grimly. I waved for them to follow me down to the basement. As I descended the stairs I tied my hair back into a ponytail.

I ripped the cushions off of the couch ad discarded them on the floor. I opened the metal safe while Laurel opened her black duffle back. I carefully put four of the holy water grenades inside along with a shotgun, rounds, and a pistol. I handed one of the two remaining grenades to Isaac along with a belt and a handgun. "Make it count," I told him, regarding the grenade. He nodded quickly and took everything.

I wrapped a belt around my own waist and stuck the last grenade in along with a dozen shotgun shells. I handed a shotgun to Isaac who accepted it firmly and took out one for myself. At the bottom of the safe lay our greatest weapons: four angel blades. Cas had given them to us a long time ago. One for each of the boys and one for each of the girls. Now with Dean and Sam gone there was an extra. I took it upon myself to carry two while giving the others to Laurel and Isaac.

"You ever handled one of these before?" I asked him while looking down at my belt, securing the lightweight blades.

"Admittedly, no," came his reply. "But I have no choice now so let's just do this."

"Good answer," Laurel chirped, sliding her blade into her belt and heading upstairs.

I looked up at Isaac, intent and dead serious. "If any of those fuckers leaves and heads for the town I don't care if I'm being ripped apart, you go and end it. The only person allowed to die in this town is me, do you understand? And if it comes between me and Laurel you go to her. Am I clear?"

Isaac nodded. "Yes, ma'am." A hint of what looked like guilt flashed across his face briefly.

We both ran upstairs and outside. I jumped into the driver's seat of my SUV just as Laurel drove her own car down to the road. Isaac jumped up into the passenger's seat, leaning his shotgun against his knee. I rested mine against the door and put the key into the ignition, the truck rumbling to life.

The bridge was on the other side of town. It would take us ten minutes to get there but I doubted there would be much traffic and quarter to eleven at night. I sped the truck down the driveway and turned onto the road. Isaac stayed silent, looking out the windows for anything suspicious.

It occurred to me in that silent moment that Dean didn't even know. I felt like I was marching off to battle without the man I love even knowing. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. After a few rings he picked up.

"Will?" his gruff voice said on the other end. "Look, I'm sorry about what Cas did but it's gonna turn out to be a shit show over here."

"You're ok then?" I asked, tears pricking my eyes. He was so far away. If I was going to die it would be knowing that he was in another state, unable to do anything.

"Yeah, we're fine," he replied. "Wait, are you in a car? Please don't tell me you're actually driving back here."

"No, no I'm not…" I sniffled which he picked up right away.

"Willa, what's going on?" His voice was etched with sudden worry.

"Nothing, it'll be fine," I lied. I stopped at a red light behind a few other cars on the main street. The diner was up ahead on the left. The lights were off.

"Don't tell me that prick made a move on you."

"No," I laughed. "Nothing like that I promise."

"So why did you call?"

"I was just worried about you, that's all. And…" I paused. The light turned green and I drove on, the cars in front turning. "I love you, Dean." A single tear slid from my eye.

"I love you, too, Will," he said. I imagined the dorky smile on his face as he said it.

I turned onto one street and then another, feeling the eeriness of the upcoming bridge. "Look, I gotta go."

"Ok, I'll call you when we leave."

"Goodbye, Dean," I said in a sad way. Normally a person would have just said 'bye' and Dean seemed to catch onto that. How formal it was.

"Willa, wait—" I hung up the phone and put it into the cup holder just as the bridge came into view up ahead. Luckily it wasn't in a populated area.

As we drew nearer, our suspicions were confirmed. Figures were silhouetted by three parked cars with the headlights on. I parked right at the edge of the old bridge. Now we could see how many there were.

"Nine," Isaac echoed my thoughts. "Goddamn."

"We can take them," I looked over at him. He nodded, still focussed ahead. I turned the key to stop the engine but kept the headlights on. I took my shotgun and put it in the back seat. "We don't have time for these. It's too close a fight."

Isaac did the same but kept a hand on the pistol at his hip as he got out of the truck. I got out on my side and followed him. We both stopped about ten feet away from the leader.

It was a woman. She stepped forward so that her face could be illuminated by the SUV's light. She was slightly shorter than me with shoulder length black hair. Her green eyes shifted to the familiar black as she cocked her head and smiled broadly.

"I was beginning to think you two wouldn't show up," she said loudly. The rest of the demons behind her remained motionless, some with their arms crossed, others leaning on a foot. "You two are quite the couple."

"Who gave you that idea?" I smirked back at her, tilting my head slightly to the side. My feet were parted, ready for an advance. But I remained calm despite my blood rushing like rapids.

The woman chuckled and continued with her perfect white toothed grin. "It's the talk of the town. Every angel and demon knows your names by now. So, let me ask you a question, girl to girl." She took another step forward. I raised by brows in a nonchalant way, listening. "You knocked up yet?" Some of the demons behind her giggled while the others seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

I knew how to play they're demon games. "Sorry to break it to you but that would be a negative."

The demon in front of us gave a fake pouting face. "You two bunnies better get to it soon. There's a lot riding on you."

"What, may I ask, is riding on it?" I asked. I was glad the Isaac was staying quiet. I wanted to do all the talking myself. He stood with his chest pushed out, tall and muscular, radiating something dangerous. His whole appearance was a warning.

"Well, I'm sure you heard the heavenly father's side of the story," she started. "That your baby's gonna grow up and lock us all downstairs for the rest of eternity." She grinned again, her eyes going back to green. "But every coin has two sides. See we," she waved a hand, referring to her buddies behind her, "stand to gain from this beautiful union as well. We still need you two to tango. Which is why you're coming with us."

I chuckled. "You see, that's gonna have to be a no," I paused a second and looked her dead in the eye, "bitch."

She sighed dramatically and raised her hands in the air in mock surrender. "We might need you two alive… but we can still have a little fun with you first." She turned around and headed back to her demon gang. "Looks like we have a fight tonight, boys." The demons whooped and laughed in excitement. "Do what you want just don't kill them." She disappeared behind one of the cars.

I ripped out my blades and saw Isaac take his out as well. I widened my stance and prepared for a wave of violence. The demons ahead of us suddenly turned off the headlights, leaving only ours to reveal their sneering faces. My heart just about leapt out of my chest. It thumped heavily, urging me with each pump, pushing my blood through my body like fuel.

"Come on," I taunted as they slowly moved in.

Just as it looked like they were about to pounce, the SUV's headlights were smashed behind us, leaving everything in the dark. My breathing stopped all together, my blood turning ice cold.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Well here we are again. I sincerely apologise for not updating in months. Forgive me for the pace of this chapter and how it was written. I haven't written a single thing since October when I last updated. In apology, I'm going to be publishing part 2 to this chapter sometime within the week. I'm almost done writing it so it should be out soon. My detail and chapter lengths should improve as I write more as well.**

**Thank you to those who followed and favourite despite my sudden disappearance, it means a lot! **

**Also trying to add more songs to the chapters. The one for this is "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell. I listened to it a lot as I wrote and it fits the end of the chapter to me. ;) **

** \- SkyQueen1111**


	9. Other Side of the Coin: Part 2

_**Not About Angels - Birdy**_

With the car lights smashed I couldn't see a thing. My eyes had barely adjusted to the dark. The demons didn't attack right away like I had anticipated. They waited, taunting us. I didn't risk trying to find Isaac or calling out for him, even though he probably hadn't moved from his spot a few feet away from me. We were both on our own, surrounded by enemies.

I turned in slow circles, holding out both angel blades, ready for an attack. _Come on Laurel_, I chanted over and over again in my head as if it would bring her closer. All of a sudden, a bright flash and a boom ahead of me illuminated about four of them for a split second. They hissed and cried out, only then I had realised that it had been a holy water grenade. In that sheer moment I saw Isaac in the corner of my eye, still standing where he was before. He had his head turned to me, as if using the light from the blast to find where I was. While the demons ahead groaned in pain I heard Isaac come closer.

"Willa, it's me," he said mere feet away. I felt out for him with one of my hands, which still contained the blade. The edge of the blade came in contact with a tender surface. "It's me," Isaac said. I could tell immediately that it was him but he grabbed the blade and grunted as he cut himself quickly. Among the chaos caused by the grenade, he moved my hand to feel the blood on what I then realised was his chest.

I clung to him at once, the two of us fumbling until we stood back to back. Once the demons stopped making they're pained noises it went quiet again. Then they started laughing, moving around us, getting closer and closer. The grenade hardly affected them. Isaac pushed me forward suddenly with a quick jerk. He grunted and moved his blade arm around. He had been hit.

Just then, two sets of hands grabbed my arms and yanked me forward and away from Isaac. I heard him shout my name as I let out a startled yell. I tore my right arm free and slashed with the blade. The man screamed as I saw the glowing slash mark. I took the opportunity of being able to see where the demon was and stabbed. My blade met the creature's stomach. His mouth and eyes lit up as his spirit died within it's host.

The demon holding my other arm hit me in the face, making me stumble. My cheek throbbed in reaction. I recovered quickly and slashed once again, using the glowing cut to finish off my victim. But as I pulled the blade out of the corpse, something grabbed one of my ankles and yanked it out from under me. I fell onto my chest, the wind knocked from me. When I opened my eyes I saw another demon in the distance screaming with a glowing mouth, lighting up Isaac's furious face as he killed the thing.

I moved to get up as quickly as possible but when I got to my knees, something kicked me hard in the stomach. I crumpled over onto my side, my insides twisting in protest.

I heard Isaac cry out in pain a distance in front of me. "No!" I screamed and tried to get up again. The demon who had kicked me down hit me right below the navel. I groaned and struggled to compose myself against the brigade of hits. From the way it grunted I could tell it was a man doing it. By the third kick something happened. The pain that had once festered in my womb after I had lost my child now began to rise. I cried out in utter agony, the demon above me laughing in satisfaction. He kicked me again in the same spot. It felt like my very womb was ripping itself to ribbons all over again. I continued to wail in agony as the demon kicked me over and over again.

"Willa!" Isaac yelled but his shouts were muffled by the sounds of beating and grunting. Shoes scraped against the pavement, Isaac trying to stand, but more thudding and grunting signified that he had failed. He roared out at the attackers, never ceasing his fight.

With the next kick I cried out weakly. A warm, liquid feeling slowly erupted from between my legs. Just then, the demons had turned their headlights back on. I moved my head slightly to look down. Blood had started staining the insides of my thighs.

Dread filled me. "No," I whispered aloud to myself. Tears slid freely from my eyes as it dawned on me that the damage from the beating had caused my old internal injuries to reopen.

I looked back up and saw a demon straddling Isaac, laying punch after punch on him. One whipped his head to the side. He opened his swollen eyes and saw me. I could do nothing but cry silently for the both of us. The thought of Laurel saving us was a lost dream. By now my friend could be dead.

The demon who had been kicking me kneeled and pushed my shoulder to the side, making me lay on my back. I groaned but couldn't move, couldn't protest. I was paralyzed. The demon, a young man with dark hair and white teeth, smiled as he climbed on me, a knee on each side of my hips. He chuckled and grabbed the collar of my jacket. He lifted hand, waving one of my angle blades in front of my face. He slowly brought the weapon down to my eye and began a long, deep cut from the bottom of my eye down to my chin. The tender flesh of my lip split easily under the sharpness. I gasped softly, having no energy to scream. He lifted the blade again and made a twin cut on the other side of my face. The wounds stung in the cold air. I could tell the others were gathered around me and Isaac, watching, relishing.

The demon on top of me proceeded to lay me back down and rip the collar of my jacket away. He used the blade to cut the thin fabric of my shirt, pushing it to the side. Only my black bra remained. He put a hand behind my neck and lifted me again slightly. He cut three deep, excruciating lines from the bottom of my lip down to my collar bone. On my actual collar bone he proceeded to make a dozen more small cuts, smiling along with the other demons when I squeaked in pain.

He was about to move on to my breasts when he lifted my head once more. "I'd rather mark up that pretty face of yours just a bit more," he growled. My face, neck and chest had become cold and sticky with blood, all of them continuing to ooze. I couldn't help but shiver due to the cold. The demon made two more cuts parallel to the ones beneath my eyes and one from the top of my forehead down to the tip of my nose. I could hardly even feel them anymore, the night chill having numbed everything.

I was still conscious of the bleeding between my legs, which hadn't stopped. That's probably why I had stopped feeling much. I was losing more blood by the second. My vision was becoming blurry, the demon above me becoming two demons here and there.

"That's enough, Drake," the female demon, the leader said from the direction of the cars. "Get them into the car." Her voice was becoming muffled in my ears. I struggled to stay conscious but rest was irresistible.

The demon, Drake, got off of me. My chest and stomach remained the same, exposed to the night sky. A few bodies littered the ground from the ones Isaac and I had killed. Drake bent down, extending his arms to pick me up, when a bright flash caught everyone's attention. Drake whipped his head around, the both of us seeing a woman's figure silhouetted by the car lights. Her arms were extended, clutching onto two of the demons heads as they wailed. The flash was caused by their imminent deaths. As their bodies fell lifelessly to the ground, the demons advanced on the woman. She ducked easily out of their way, grabbing their necks and taking their lives within seconds. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I blamed it on illusions caused by the blood loss. The demons were scattered, terrified and confused of the woman. The remaining scrambled into the cars, including Drake who quickly ran around the woman, careful to stay out of her reach. They drove away frantically, leaving us in darkness.

"Willa," Isaac grunted. I was surprised he was still conscious. I heard faint groans as well as a body, dragging itself across the ground.

I tried to say his name but my voice had left me. I was whispering into the night, my breath coming out in fog. I prayed that Laurel was still alive. My only consolation in the darkness was that the demons were gone and the town was safe. A faint whoosh, and Isaac's sounds had disappeared. I felt utterly alone, left to fade away under the starry sky.

It felt like hours of waiting but I'm sure it was only seconds. I had kept loosing blood, my whole body feeling like a foreign object. Then, warm body knelt next to mine. I looked up at the glowing face of a woman—_the_ woman. Her eyes like gold and her brown hair tucked behind her ears. Above her I could make out the faint shadow of angel's wings before they disappeared.

"Angel," I muttered, barely audible.

"Yes," her soft voice said. It was like music. She was beautiful in every way. Like an angel of death hovering over me, giving me a last glimpse of beauty in my final moments. She spread a thick grey blanket over my exposed body, warm to the touch.

"Please," I began, "just take me home."

She nodded with thin lips. The angel scooped her arms underneath my legs and back, picking me up with ease. I welcomed the warmth of her body, it felt like the one thing keeping me from drifting away. In a second, the darkness of Wabi Bridge was replaced by the front foyer of my home. The light was on, making me wince from the brightness.

"Willa!" I heard Laurel exclaim. Two sets of footsteps came down the hall. When I opened my heavy eyes I saw that it was both Laurel and Isaac.

"Isaac," I whispered with heaviness.

"I'm fine," he assured me. Indeed, he did look fine. His face wasn't swollen and bloody anymore. It was back to normal. The angel holding me must have healed him.

A shot of pain erupted in my stomach, making me grunt and clench a fist on my abdomen. Stars started to spin around in my sight, making me close my eyes tightly. My head pounded, wanting to shut down to stop the hurting.

"Where can I take her?" the angel asked urgently, holding me tighter against her body as if she might lose me.

"This way," Laurel told her, the sound of footsteps running up the stairs followed.

The angel moved after her, carrying me up without any strain. The next thing I knew, I was being laid down on a soft surface. I assumed it was my bed. What I didn't expect was that I was still bleeding. From all my cuts and between my legs.

Almost as if reading my thoughts, Laurel said, "Why is she still bleeding like that? The cuts should have clotted."

I opened my eyes and saw the angel sitting on the edge of the bed beside me, looking down with worry. "It was an angel blade," she replied. "They can kill almost and supernatural being, even humans. The cuts won't heal themselves or clot like regular gashes. I'll have to heal her myself."

I saw Laurel hover over the angel's shoulder, a hand over her mouth. Beside her stood Isaac. He put a hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She reluctantly followed him out of the room.

The woman beside me removed the blanket from my body, it was red with my blood. "I need you to stay awake," she told me. "No matter how hard it is, you have to keep your eyes open." Her voice was so soft, it almost made me want to fall asleep right there. "I need to heal them one at a time. I can't do it as fast as I normally would with a regular wound."

I nodded weakly and focussed my gaze up to the ceiling, my eyes as wide and awake as I could make them. "Dean," I rasped.

The angel heard me easily as she put a thumb against the cut on my forehead. "I'll call Castiel to bring him. Don't worry about anything else. Just relax." She ran her thumb down the cut, not breaking contact. None of it pained me. While the other injuries still whined and stung, as the woman ran her fingers down the ones on my face, the irritation vanished completely. She worked easily, but rather slowly, making sure that she didn't miss a single one.

When she was finished, she looked down to my stomach, which was now bruised gruesomely. She gently laid both hands on my abdomen. I flinched at the sudden sharpness, but as she carefully spread her fingers over my beaten flesh, the aching started to wither away. She closed her eyes in focus, almost as if she was looking inside me to find all the broken pieces and sew them back together. The pain seemed to fade away, like water being absorbed by the sun. When she was finished, she removed her palms. I felt like new again. My eyes were still bleary but I could finally focus.

"You need rest," she told me. "You lost a lot of blood. Forgive me, but I don't have the power to restore your full strength." She looked down at me with pitying eyes. I wondered what kind of angel she actually was, if there were even different kinds. All the ones I had met were overpowered, able to do almost anything. But she… she couldn't heal my old injury as fast as someone like Cas could. He could have blinked and it would be done. But she needed to take her time. It made me think…

She grabbed the blanket at the foot of the bed and spread it over me, taking away the ruined one. The angel looked visibly weakened by the healing she had done, or perhaps the fighting. "I'll call Castiel," she told me before leaving the room. "He'll bring Dean back as soon as possible."

"Thank you," I called after her. "Thank you for saving them." Tears swelled in my heavy eyes, I owed her my life.

She nodded meekly and closed the door behind her. Only then did I let my eyes close, sleep immediately taking hold.

**Laurel **

After Isaac had taken me out of Willa's room, I practically fell apart in his arms. It was embarrassing to think about afterwards but I couldn't help but break down and cry after seeing my friend so broken. I had leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, both hands covering my face. I couldn't see him but I felt his big arms wrap around me and pull me to his chest.

"It's not your fault," he soothed as he rubbed his hand in circles on my back. His touch was warm, radiating through my body and calming my nerves.

"I should have known they'd be waiting for me," I said as I dropped my hands from my face but kept them close to me. Isaac didn't let go. "There were five of them on the back road. They blocked the way with the cars. They didn't hesitate when they attacked. I killed two of them before she showed up." I lied. I kept the truth to myself. Because if Isaac found out that I had actually killed them all, he would grow suspicious.

I had waited until they all surrounded me before unleashing the power that festered within my body. Upon nearing them in the car, I felt it boil in my blood, nearly uncontrollable in the face of danger. It was ready to protect me, as if it were a living being. When they got close enough, I released it upon them. They had expected so much less of me. With a strong wave of my hands, a gust of wind irrupted from me. I clenched my fists in the air, the demons glowing as they died, screaming in agony. I pulled their lives from them, expelling their evil from the world. When they fell limp to the ground, so did I. I had drained my strength, even with the necklace that Castiel had given me. It was meant to help me keep the shield up around the property, as well as use my magic if the need arose. But the energy needed to kill five demons was enough to make me collapse. That was when I was rescued and brought back home.

"They outsmarted us," Isaac said, pulling away and looking down to meet my eyes. His were sincere and so blue… "No one is at fault here."

I nodded and wiped the tears from under my eyes. Just then, Castiel appeared with Dean behind Isaac. We both released each other completely and turned to them. Dean looked at us wildly.

"Where is she?" he demanded. He looked like a wild animal, ready to attack anything in his way.

"Upstairs," I responded right way, moving aside as Dean bounded up the steps, taking two at a time to get to her.

**Willa **

I woke up, seeing a face etched with concern leaning over me. It was Dean. The angel had been true to her word. He still had his leather jacket on, with a blue flannel underneath. Upon noticing my opened eyes, he smiled down at me, gently sliding a rough hand to my cheek and pressing it against my skin.

"Hey," he whispered. Tears pricked his eyes as he looked me up and down. Relief spread over his features as well as gratitude.

I had no doubt that I was deathly pale. I was still extremely tired but couldn't think about falling back asleep. Not with Dean finally there. "Hey," I responded with a tug of a smile pulling the corner of my lips. "I'm sorry," followed right after. I felt horrible for not telling him the truth. "Go ahead and be mad. I lied."

"Damn right I'm mad," he said gruffly, but keeping his voice down for my sake. "How could you do something like that without telling me, huh? You know we could have helped."

"You had a potential Egyptian plague on your hands. If Cas needed your help then it was important." I raised my brows seriously, trying to make him see my point.

"Willa you almost died," he retorted, lines creasing on his forehead. "You went into that fight knowing it. I heard it in your voice. That girl angel told me all about how messed up you were when she found you."

"You saw her?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, hesitating and confused. "Why?"

I stared up at the ceiling, brows knitted together. "So it wasn't a dream," I said to myself but didn't doubt that Dean heard it too.

He stopped then, after my words. His face relaxed into a sympathetic frown. He must have caught on to how disoriented I still was. "Promise me it won't happen again," he said as he brushed his thumb along my jawline.

"Promise," I replied. After a few moments in silence I spoke again. "Isaac," Dean watched me, "fought pretty damn hard." Dean's brows raised slightly, listening. "I know he didn't forget about me for a second. He kept fighting to get back to me."

Dean nodded with a hint of a proud smile. "Good," he stated plainly. I smiled as well.

I felt enough strength mustered in me to sit up. My stomach still felt queasy and my head a little light. "How long has it been?" I asked curiously. I propped my arms behind me to steady myself.

Dean helped me up, carefully holding onto my elbows. "It happened last night. It's the afternoon now."

I dipped my head in understanding before pulling the blanket off of me. The tangy scent of blood filled my nose as I stared down at the outfit I had been wearing last night. The angel hadn't helped me change, not that I expected her to after all that she'd done. Dean noticed too, looking down with wide eyes at my jeans. The blood had already dried but the insides of my thighs all the way down to my knees were covered in it. My exposed torso was unnervingly pale.

Dean remained shocked, so I filled in the blanks for him. "Demon kicked me a bunch of times. Reopened the… wounds I guess… It was the most pain I'd been in since the hellhounds."

Dean let out a shaky breath. "Let's get you washed up," he said simply, putting on a more serious face. "I'm not letting you sit here like this."

"I'll go take a shower," I offered, beginning to move.

"You sure that's a good idea?" he countered. "Can you even stand?" He looked me up and down again, this time skeptically.

I brushed him off and swung my legs over the side of the bed, taking note to change the bloodied sheets. With Dean holding onto my arms, I stood. My vision spun for a few seconds but I kept my balance. He guided me over to the bathroom slowly, taking note of every time I leaned on him for support.

I opened the door and turned on the light. Noticing that Dean was still holding onto my waist, I turned and gave him a look. "Would you like to join me?" I asked sarcastically, tilting my head to the side.

Dean raised his brows, the worry replaced with a cocky look. "Wouldn't be a bad idea," came his remark. He had his usual side smirk, making me purse my lips in slight regret of offering in the first place.

But despite my body being fully healed I was still weaker than normal. If it weren't for Dean holding me up then I would have fallen against the wall. I needed to get out of those clothes, too. I couldn't sit in my own blood until I felt better. "You're right," I looked up at him, not a hint of humor in my voice.

Dean nodded knowingly, the smirk faded from his face. I took one of his hands, his other wrapped around my hip, and led him into the bathroom. He closed the door with a soft click and locked it.

The master bathroom was spacious. The toilet on the far right, the mirror and sink straight ahead and the large walk in shower on the left. I had never bothered installing a bath since the other bathrooms each had one.

Dean carefully held me to him with one arm while taking the ripped jacket and shirt off with the other. He discarded them on the floor without a second thought. I slid my fingers under his jacket and flannel, pushing them off of his shoulders before moving my hands down. I was still so fatigued that I had to rest my forehead in the crook of his neck. He remained still as I hooked my fingers under his black t shirt, lifting it up with minimal strength. He helped me get it over his head before I dropped it on the floor behind him. He unclipped my belt and undid the button and zipper of my pants. I held the doorknob for balance as Dean knelt, pulling the ruined jeans off. Knowing that I didn't have the energy, he took his own pants off swiftly before turning his attention back to me.

"It's been a while," I commented quietly. Both of us looking at each other in out underwear truly reminded me that it had been a long time. But we were together now, it didn't feel awkward or foreign to me. It did make me feel a little uncomfortable that my thighs were coated in blood, even though we both knew that it was from an injury.

Dean walked slowly back over to me, holding my arms steady. He grazed a hand along my back, making me shiver, as he unclipped my bra. Dropping it on the floor, he moved down to my underwear, making me break eye contact, feeling nervous and tense. He didn't seem to care as he gently pulled them down. I stepped out carefully and watched him stand back up and meet my eyes.

"I'm fine," I assured him with a weak smile. He put a hand around my waist and brought me over to the shower. Being completely naked, the air caused my skin to prickle.

Dean opened the shower door and turned on the water, letting it fall down from the ceiling. I went ahead and walked in, leaving Dean behind as I grabbed onto the ledge where I kept all the shampoo and conditioner. I quickly remembered that I still had my hair up so I took out the elastic and put it on the ledge. My hair fell stiffly on my shoulders, the warm water damping it down.

Before Dean entered the shower I quickly wiped down my thighs, watching the blood wash away easily. I rinsed off my hands as Dean stepped up behind me. I turned around seeing him fully naked before me. He closed the shower door before raising both of his hands and smoothing back my hair. He grabbed a bar of soap from the ledge and began to lather it in his hands, focussed on it. I stood there as he rubbed the soap on my shoulders, my back, my chest. He moved down to my breasts, a little hesitant but continued. He paused with the soap, brushing his thumb softy against my nipple, as if remembering. The contact sent a wave of heat through my body.

I curled a hand around the back of his neck, pulling myself up slightly and pressed my lips to his. My forehead creased with meaning. I broke away as he put the soap aside and placed a hand on either side of my face, kissing me deeply. I opened my mouth to welcome his tongue as he slid a hand down to my lower back, pulling me tight against him. I could feel him harden against my newly clean thigh. I was ready for this. No matter how little strength I had, I wanted this.

As our kisses became more passionate and deep. Dean remained conscious of my condition, staying slow and tender. He had pressed me against the smooth stone wall, supporting me with his solid body. My chest fluttered with excitement as he gripped my breasts while devouring my mouth.

He broke away suddenly, drips of water slid down his face and chest. "You sure you wanna do this?" he asked mildly while peering down at me with sincere eyes.

I nodded genuinely, gripping his thick arms. In one swift motion, he grabbed me by the hips and lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around him as best as I could but they still felt so heavy. Dean began to trail kisses down my neck as I moaned quietly, enjoying every moment. Each touch gave me a sliver of newfound energy. He wrapped an arm beneath one of my thighs, lifting me even higher as he began brushing his lips against my breasts, flicking his tongue over the sensitive spots. He moved down to my stomach, pausing in uncertainty.

"It's healed now," I began, eyes still closed in the moment. "It's ok."

Dean resumed to plant butterfly-like kisses on my naval before slowly, painfully making his way back up to meet my mouth. He dragged his bottom lip along the skin of my neck, making me shiver. My heart yearned to have him completely as I felt his length against my leg once more. The seemingly empty space between my legs throbbed in wanting as he began kissing the corners of my barely pared mouth. My eyes remained closed the whole time as I breathed deeply, remembering, savouring. It had used to be like this, even better. It felt just as good as before.

Dean moved himself to my entrance steadily, carefully, and braced both hands on my hips as he slowly sheathed himself inside me. I cried out quietly, not quite recalling that it felt so real. The years of us not being together, of me not being with anyone else had taken its toll on my memory.

But there he was, slowly thrusting, painfully gentle as I groaned in pleasure. He continued as he captured my lips once more. Each time he pushed into me, a little ebbing feeling in the pit of my womb grew, causing me to bite Dean's bottom lip to keep from losing myself. He groaned in response, grinning. I thanked the angel over and over again for healing me, for allowing me to have this moment. He slid a hand up from my hip so that his thumb caressed my left breast until he fully took it in his palm. He massaged it delicately as I quivered, relishing in every minute.

Dean's muscles grew stained and taught while holding me up, making them bulge. Each thrust brought me closer to the edge, making my nerves sing with heat. I didn't remember how much time had passed, my mind had been trapped in some sort of oblivion. He crashed his lips to mine, his tongue intertwining with my own as the water poured mercilessly down on us. Our breathing became faster, Dean moving more urgently in and out of me, our moans of pleasure into each other's mouths. I raked my nails across his back as we both climaxed, our sounds mingling together with the spraying water. It was like tiny explosions were taking place in my abdomen. He released and filled me completely as I sighed, still taken aback by my body's reaction.

He gazed up at me, hazel eyes filled with light. He set me down on my feet. My legs shook and my whole body felt exhausted despite the excitement. I smiled up at Dean as he leaned over and turned the water off, both of us dripping.

He kept a hand on my back to ensure that I wouldn't lose balance. He opened the shower door, letting in a gust of cold air which made me lean in closer to his chest for warmth. Dean grabbed a large white towel and wrapped it around my shoulders. I held it in place as he got a towel for himself and placed it around his hips, securing it. He guided me out of the shower, me nearly falling against him because my legs refused to support me any longer.

Dean swiftly picked me up, my head falling to rest on his wet shoulder. He carried me to the door, unlocking and opening it before peering outside, checking if anyone was around. He swung the door open wider and walked out into the hall with me. Instead of going to my room, which still had the bloody sheets, we went farther down the hall. Dean took me to his room, closing and locking the door behind us.

The room was dark, curtains drawn. The green walls and wooden furniture gave it a cabin feeling. Dean set me down gently on the bed, the soft pillows cushioning my head. A sliver of light shone through from in between the curtains. Dean stood, one knee resting against the edge of the bed as he closed the curtains. I had already shut my eyes, half asleep, when I felt him lay down beside me and spread a soft blanket over the both of us. He pulled me against his chest as I dozed. I could feel his fingers brushing over the fertility tattoo on my back just before I fell asleep.

* * *

_Dean lay on the ground in the short distance, face swollen to hell and bloodied. The sky was grey, wind ripped through my hair as I looked at him with wide eyes. I made to move, to help him, but a huge hand wrapped around my throat. It squeezed as it pushed me back harshly, onto the hood of the Impala. I was right back in that moment again, the moment I had nightmares about for a year._

_Sam stood above me, his face filled with malice as his grip on my neck tightened. Dean screamed from behind in protest but unable to move. Sam—Lucifer—grinned down at me, loosening his hold slightly. The blood pressure that had risen in my face began to drift away but he kept me pinned against the car._

_I flailed and kicked my legs, trying to push him off but his brute strength kept him steady. He didn't waver when I shoved him countless times with my booted feet._

_Sam leaned down, closer to my face. "We're not done with you, yet," he said. Just like that day. The day I was reliving right now. I had no idea what he had meant but now it made all too much sense._

_Sam slowly backed away, his free hand began to caress my collar bone. I shrieked at him in protest but he held me in place. I looked down as his hand wandered, agonisingly steady… over my protruding belly. He placed a flat palm on it, warming my skin. Almost as if in reaction, the child within me kicked the spot where his hand was. I screamed and continued to fight for freedom but I grew more tired, my stomach getting in the way and the baby's kicking wearing me out from the inside. _

"_We have so much yet to do," Sam announced to my belly. "Let's get on with it." He looked back up at me with irritatingly serene eyes. He put a sudden pressure down on my stomach and a wave of pain radiated from the contact. _

_I screamed as he released me and backed away. I slid off the car and fell to my knees, clutching my belly as the contractions ripped through my body like tidal waves. They pulsed over and over again, making my torso clench as if a giant hand were squeezing it. I looked up and saw Sam swaggering over to Dean, who had a horrified expression and yelled my name as he watched me. One final contraction tore through me, I wailed in agony and started to see stars._

* * *

My eyes flew open and I shot upright, a hand resting on my neck. I looked frantically around the room to find the scene that I just witnessed. But I was still in Dean's room, I remembered. My hand dropped from my neck down to my flat stomach. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady my heartbeat. _It was a dream. It wasn't real._

The blanket from before had fallen to my hips along with my towel. I was left with my upper body exposed. Beside me, Dean slept soundly on his stomach. I grabbed my towel and carefully slid out of bed before wrapping it around me. I tip toed out of Dean's room and gently closed the door behind.

I went to my own room and turned on the light, noticing the bloody bed right away. I groaned, knowing that I would either have to throw the sheets away or go through washing them myself. I looked out the window, noticing that it was completely dark out. I checked my laptop on the desk which read 1:36 am. I went to the dresser and pulled out some underwear, slipping it on after dropping the towel on the ground. I put on some pajama pants and a tank top before throwing on my huge grey sweater.

That nightmare had shaken me. Especially after what the demons at the bridge said._ They need me_, I thought. _They need me and Isaac_. In the dream it was Lucifer, not Sam that said he wasn't done with me yet. That's why he didn't kill me. That's why the demons didn't want to kill me and Isaac. Just beat the living shit out of us. They need us alive to conceive that kid. _There's a part of this prophecy that they want. If I give birth to this child and they get their hands on it… could they use it in some way?_

I put on a pair of socks and padded down the stairs to the front door. I needed some air. I needed to think. I opened the door, noticing that it was already unlocked. I walked out into the chilly air, inhaling deeply.

"Couldn't sleep either?" a male voice said from my right side. I jumped and looked to the porch swing. It was Isaac. He sat on it with his elbows on his knees. He didn't look at me, only forward, deep in thought.

"Nightmare," I admitted and walked passed him to the cushioned wicker chair at the end of the porch. I plopped down on it and brought a knee up to my chest. From this spot, the moonlight palely illuminated Isaac's face. "You?"

"Thinking," he replied. "Can't sleep when I got too much on my mind." He sat back in the swing and propped his arms up on the back. "It's about what they said." I knew that he was referring to the demons. "They said that they could gain from this prophecy." He glanced over at me. "Maybe this kid could go either way." He leaned forward onto his knees again, unable to stay still. "Cas and this other angel are supposedly protecting us until the kid is born. Then what? We raise it? Do they take it away? Maybe if the demons get their hands on it, they could raise it and manipulate it."

"There's two sides to this prophecy then," I said, understanding. "The prophet could have seen two futures. Two outcomes of the kid's life. Either growing up with the angels and closing the gates of hell or growing up with the demons and doing who knows what."

"Right," Isaac said, smirking sarcastically. His eyes became distant then, almost sorrowful. "They're ever gonna stop coming after us then. As long as the both of us are alive, the prophecy still stands a chance." He looked to the treeline ahead. "So what do we do?" he asked while folding his hands together.

"We don't give them what they want," I stated bluntly. "I'm not doing shit for this prophecy. I've lost too much in the past. I couldn't bring myself to do it even if I wanted to." Isaac looked at me then, curious, so I continued. "Dean and I were gonna have a kid… Years ago." I brought my other leg up onto the chair and hugged it to my chest. "Hellhounds tore me up at about eight months." I remained in eye contact with Isaac. His forehead creased with sympathy. "They killed Dean before they went after me, so he didn't even know it happened. He went straight to hell when he died. He made a deal with a crossroad demon to save Sam. While he was gone I was in a coma. I woke up a few months before Cas brought him back. We never really got over it." I looked down at my feet. My voice had gotten quiet towards the end.

Isaac didn't say anything in response. We just sat there, listening to the rustling of the tree leaves before he finally spoke. "A few years ago I had a girlfriend," he began, looking at his folded hands. I lifted my head to see him. "This was right after my dad died. She got pregnant… and I retired from hunting so that we could be normal. I got a regular job, leased a house… But when I came home from work one day the door was open." He paused. Even in the dim moonlight I could see the haunting behind his eyes. "I ran inside trying to find her. I thought, you know, maybe she'd gone into early labour or something and went to the hospital. But I found her… She was gone. There was sulfur everywhere. I didn't stop until the thing that killed her was dead. But I just kept hunting after that."

I remained silent, afraid to break him from his memory spell he seemed to be under. But he was done talking, slowly coming back. "Why would they pick us? Of all people?" I asked. "Two broken would-be parents." I scoffed but didn't even think that it might hurt him until right after.

But Isaac grunted in response. "God is one sick fucker," he stated.

We sat quietly, solemn. I looked out at the stars. They shone brightly in defiance of the dark night, blanketing the horizon. The faint wind in the distance ran through the tree leaves, making them hiss from the disturbance. I could have sat there, taking in the peace and quiet, if not for the thing that had been on my mind since the night before.

"Did you see her?" I asked Isaac, almost whispering. "The angel?" I knew Dean had seen her. I had no doubt she was real, she had healed me before my very eyes. But something about her seemed so mythical, like an illusion.

"Yeah," Isaac responded. "She stayed right out here on the porch until Cas came and took her away."

My brows knitted together in confusion. "Took her away?"

"Kind of. She didn't want to leave but they had important business to take care of."

"Did she tell you her name?" I inquired.

Isaac shook his head. "No, actually. She seemed pretty mysterious."

I nodded slowly, but I couldn't stop myself from wanting to know more about her. "So she must be the other angel Cas was assigned to watch over us with," I assumed, more to myself than to Isaac.

* * *

After a while, Isaac told me that he was heading inside for the night. He asked if I would be going inside as well, to which I said no. I wanted to stay, to think. When he was gone, I leaned back in the chair, closing my eyes.

_I'm wanted by both sides_, I said to myself, thinking about the demon side to the prophecy. I felt trapped, slowly being pushed towards something that would either do good or evil. It made me even more reluctant about the prophecy, now that there was a chance that demons could get a hold of the child and use it if it were born.

I lifted my head back up, opening my eyes and shaking my head. _It can't happen. We'll just continue fighting hell for the rest of our lives_. This prophecy was too much of a risk.

I stood up, still weary from the blood loss, and slowly headed inside. It took more of my strength than it should have to make it up the stairs without creating too much noise. I went to my room and replaced my pajama pants with a pair of jeans and my boots.

I made my way back downstairs and outside. I stumbled down the front steps, all of a sudden conscious that I hadn't even eaten anything. It was no doubt making me even more disoriented. I continued on anyway, keeping a hand on the pasture fence as I walked down to the barn. The moonlight provided was enough to see by, although making it even creepier to be outside by myself.

I reached the barn door, using my body weight to heave it aside. With my eyes being adjusted to the dark, I spotted Gem lift his grey head upon noticing me. His eyes were droopy, having been closed in sleep just moments before.

"Sorry, bud," I whispered upon reaching the stall, holding the door for balance. "I need a favour." The horse stuck his muzzle out, sniffing at me before snorting groggily. I grabbed his halter and lead and slipped it over his head, securing it. I tied the loose end of the rope to the other side of the halter, making a long loop which I would use as reins.

I opened the stall door slowly and held onto Gem's mane to steady my fragile body as I led him outside. He, more or less, led me instead. The horse was well aware that I wasn't myself, walking at my pace and lowering his neck so that I could get a better grip.

Once outside, I tapped his front leg with my boot. Gem dropped to a kneeling position in response. I grabbed a thick lock of mane and heaved myself onto his back, grunting loudly at the amount of effort it took. I was hunched over his neck, worn out. I remained like that as I squeezed my heels to his sides, making him stand. The quick elevation made me close my eyes in slight dizziness. _I should have eaten something_, I silently scolded myself.

I guided Gem through the dark to the beginning of the trail. Once we were within the forest, seeing ahead became more difficult. I gave Gem his head so that he could weave himself in and out of the trees as he followed the trail.

I knew Dean would have forbidden me from coming out here by myself at night. But it was the only time I could be alone. I wanted to talk to them without an audience.

Gem tripped over something on the path, making my heart jump as he stumbled. But he quickly got his balance and continued on, stepping more slowly and carefully. I rubbed his neck reassuringly, telling him it was ok.

It took longer to get to our destination than normal. But the pale gazebo came into view as we stepped into the clearing. I steered Gem towards it and stopped before the mess of wildflowers, looking at the structure before me. I opted to stay on Gem's back, too tired to get off.

I looked to the starry night sky, my words coming out in wisps of fog. "Castiel," I said, mustering the sentences in my lungs before saying them. "I want to see you. I want to see her."

In immediate answer, with a small gust of wind, Castiel appeared about ten feet in front of Gem. The horse didn't even flinch. Beside Cas stood the angel who had saved me. She didn't wear the usual formal suit like the other angels. Instead, she wore skinny jeans and combat boots with a black shirt and button up grey jacket. She looked much more mundane than Castiel or any other angel I had met. Her dark hair had been tucked behind her ears, making her look young. It fell down a few inches below her shoulders, shining in the moonlight. Her eyes were less noticeable than when I had seen them the night before. But they were still a rich golden colour.

My breath caught upon seeing her, remembering the night she had saved me. What she had done for me.

"You called," Cas said gruffly. The angel beside him was a head shorter than him. I couldn't believe that she had carried me. She had to be around five foot one or two.

"Yes," I responded from atop Gem. "I want to talk to you."

Castiel shifted. "Go on."

I directed my speech to the woman beside him. "I want to know who you are," I began, raising my brows to encourage her to speak.

"I'm sorry for not telling you before," she began calmly. "My name is Ambriel. My job is to watch over you alongside Castiel." She paused, looking me up and down with a regretful look on her face before meeting my eyes again. "Forgive me for not coming to your aid sooner. I should have been there to help you before anything happened." She was talking about the other night, how she only showed up after the demons had beaten me and Isaac.

"It should never have happened," Cas cut in. "I was with Dean and Sam, tracking down the thief of the staff. I should have known you were in trouble."

"How come you didn't get to us right away?" I questioned Ambriel. I wasn't mad at her, I was just wondering how a teleporting angel who could see everything couldn't get to us easily.

"I've spent much of my existence down here among humans," Ambriel began, a bit of wonder glittering her eyes. It was as if she admired us—humans. "I was curious… I left my position in heaven… I was young. I disregarded my job to stay down here, where I was happy. But during the centuries on earth, my powers became weak, fading the longer I stayed away from heaven. I've been hunted by other angels, I still am by some. They worried that I would expose myself as well as their secrets. They resented me for leaving." She looked away, her eyes lost and distant. Her forehead creased, making me feel sorry for her. I couldn't imagine the pain she had been through.

"So why were you assigned to protect me?" I asked.

It was Cas who spoke next. "I chose her because she understands humans more than any other angel. But without God to accept her back, her powers remain frail. The others still want her dead."

"It took me a while to locate you and Isaac," Ambriel said, squeezing her hands together as if she had some sort of anxiety. "Without an anchor to link me to you two, I had to follow your tracks." She looked blankly at Gem's chest. "I'll never forgive myself for allowing you to be hurt," she whispered, looking as distraught as I'd ever seen an angel.

"It's ok," I told her. "You saved our lives. I would have bled to death if you hadn't saved me." I was grateful that Castiel allowed me to speak with Ambriel one on one. "Is there a way to get your strength back though? I want to help. It's the least I could do."

"The only way for me to recover fully is if God accepts me back into heaven," she replied gravely. "Even Castiel can't bring me back up there. I must remain here with what little power remains. But I'm afraid that eventually my grace will run out."

"It wouldn't be for centuries," Cas interjected, looking sternly down at Ambriel. "You'll be allowed back before then."

So she had been forbidden from returning to heaven by God himself, all because she was intrigued by mere humans. I pitied her. She knew it was a mistake, but she didn't seem to regret it too much. It was as if she loved the time she spent with humans, living a normal life—an unnaturally long life but still relatively normal.

Cas slowly turned his head back up to me. "This prophecy could save Ambriel, Willa. If her grace runs out she will be mortal. And she will die." I frowned down at him, making him go on. "God left after the prophecy was set into motion. No one has seen him since. But the child… it will become the new God." He raised his brows seriously.

"How's a baby going to become God?" I questioned. The information still clicked—how it could save Ambriel.

"The child's soul will be taken up to heaven and put into an older host," Cas went on. "It will learn. It will train. The soul will close the gates of hell, then it will rule heaven in God's stead."

My brows instinctively raised, in wonder or question I hadn't really processed yet. "So I give birth and you leave me with a soulless baby?"

Cas sighed, breaking eye contact with me. "We can put a new soul into the child if you wish." He looked back up, silently pleading with me.

"And it will accept her back into heaven and save her?" I nodded in Ambriel's direction. She visibly tensed, a bit shy regarding me making it about her.

Castiel dipped his chin, confirming. His strong gaze made me shift my eyes beside me, down at the pale blue wildflowers.

"I still can't do it," I said, regret laced in with my words. I felt horrible for Ambriel. After lifetimes spent with humans, being hunted, all she wanted was to go home and I was denying her the only chance she had. "I'm sorry," I said, meaning it. All anger I had about being involved in the prophecy was gone, replaced with heartache. I couldn't bring myself to sleep with an unfamiliar man and carry his child, bringing it into the world only for its soul to be taken away. It was ridiculous.

"I know it's hard," Cas said, stepping forward. "But please think about it. This could save more people than you think. Not just her. And they won't stop either. The demons will continue to come after you."

"And what if they get their hands on the kid?" I asked sharply. "What if they get to it before you? What will they do with it?"

Cas paused, not wanting to give me the information. He was probably worried that it might scare me away even more. But he gave in. "It will free Lucifer from the cage," he grumbled. "He will be stronger. The child will grow by his side and become his weapon. They will bring a new apocalypse upon the world."

I merely nodded, as if this was everyday gossip that I would here from a customer at the diner. "Fun," I remarked sarcastically. I couldn't get my mind to work out a way around this. I needed something to say to Cas to dismiss him without making him continue nagging me about the prophecy.

"Will you promise to consider it?" he pleaded.

I stared at him, lips in a thin line. My heart was dead set against it, but I didn't want to shut him down completely, or encourage him to scold me in my sleep like he had done before. "Yeah," I replied simply. "I will." It may have been a lie when I said it. But I told myself right after to think on it, for Ambriel's sake.

Cas sighed in response, relaxing. "Thank you," he said graciously.

I nodded with an annoyed smirk. "I'm going now. But thanks for telling me. About everything." I looked at Ambriel and inclined my head to her.

She smiled genuinely in response. I could imagine her relief upon hearing me agree to consider the prophecy. In her eyes, she was one step closer to a full life. "I'll walk with you," she told me. The look in her eyes said that she wasn't done talking to me. She turned to the angel beside her before saying, "Thank you, Castiel."

Cas looked between the both of us before vanishing, going who knows where, leaving me and Ambriel in the dark together. Gem shifted from under me. Ambriel walked over, appearing even smaller beside the horse. I extended a hand to help lift her up but she shook her head politely.

"I'll walk, thank you," she said. So, we began to head back to the house. Gem sneaked quick sniffs of her shoulder, taking in the unfamiliar scent as she walked beside him. Ambriel had no trouble seeing in the dark. Gem took the opportunity, walking close to her as she guided the way.

"So will you stay with us?" I asked, concerned about how she would find us again if we were in trouble.

"I suppose I could if you needed me," she answered while keeping her eyes on the forest ahead. "But regarding that…" She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out something that I couldn't see. "I made these." She handed the contents of her hand up to me, gently placing them in my palm. They were rings. Silver from what I could make out in the shreds of moonlight. Two of them. "A friend helped me make them. Give one to Isaac and wear the other yourself. They'll help me locate you, should you need my assistance."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "There's a spare room if you want it. It's Sam's but he never stays here much. It's yours."

"That's kind of you," Ambriel mentioned. She lightly pushed on Gem's nose, steering him away from an unseen obstacle. "I would only stay on my time off. I usually help Castiel when he comes to earth on a mission."

"That's perfectly fine," I assured. "I'm kind of relieved that you accepted actually. I'm grateful for your help. I hope I can repay you someday."

"I'm glad to be of service."

We both continued the walk back in silence. When we got to the barn, Ambriel had to hold me when I got off of Gem. I nearly toppled over when I slid off of his back. My body ached with weariness. The angel kept an arm around my waist as we put Gem away, which was a team effort.

We headed inside and I directed her to Sam's room. It was beside Dean's so we bid each other goodnight before going our separate ways. Closing the door behind me after entering Dean's room, I remembered that I hadn't even been in Sam's room in over a year. I only hoped that he kept it tidy.

Leaning against the door, I pulled the two rings out of my pocket. I slipped the smaller one on my right ring finger. It fit easily, feeling light and comfortable. I quietly took my boots off, careful not to wake Dean, and went over to the side of the bed where I had gotten out. Putting the other ring—Isaac's ring—on the bedside table, I shook off my sweater. My jeans and socks remained on. Not by my choice. I collapsed onto the pillow, falling asleep before I could even get under the blanket.

* * *

**Part two, as promised. I'm so excited to introduce my new original character, Ambriel! I guess you could count Drake as a new original character, too. Honestly I wasn't going to have Ambriel be a big part in this but once I gave her a name and a role in this chapter, her backstory just kept building. I hope you like her because she's beginning to become a really interesting character to me.**

**Thank you for the new follows and favourites! Much appreciated!**

**I'll try and get back onto a regular schedule from now on but thank you to those who read the story and let me know that it's worth continuing!**

**-SkyQueen1111**


	10. Live Free or Twihard

A little over a week later, thanks to Ambriel and Laurel's care, I had regained much of my strength. Dean hardly left my side, declining hunts with Sam and his grandfather in favour of my recovery. I appreciated his constant care but it became a little too much after the first couple of days. Everyone in the house had felt the need to do everything for me and I hated it. I practically begged Dean to go on a hunt with Sam after the third time his brother called.

Although, ever since our moment in the shower I had grown even closer to him. After cleaning up my messy bedroom, Dean had practically moved in to look after me. Every night he held me close as I slept, as if afraid that I'd wander off to fight a group of demons again. His embrace always made me feel safe, though.

One day, I was watching a movie in the living room when Dean walked out onto the front porch. I knew that Isaac was already out there, reading one of _Eragon_ books I had loaned him. I muted the TV and went over to the window, opening it a crack. I heard Dean and Isaac greet each other in that gruff way that they usually did before Dean expressed his gratitude for Isaac's courage during the demon attack. He thanked the man for fighting for me and doing his best to save me. Isaac then apologised for not actually saving me, to which Dean brushed it off and told the man that he tried his best and he appreciated it. I smiled to myself, glad that Dean actually said something to Isaac. I myself had already said many thanks to him.

Ambriel was like a ghost around the house. Not like the ghosts we would hunt, obviously. She was quiet and moved silently like a cat, not being seen or heard unless she had to tell us something. She ensured that I got the ring to Isaac and that we both wore them. Isaac had given me a strange look when I gave him the piece of jewelry but agreed to wear it after I told him about Ambriel's power.

The angel herself brought a positive kind of energy to me. Her kind face and soft voice lightened my mood whenever I spoke to her. She was so human-like in her behaviour, having picked up our habits among her centuries living on earth. She was quiet though, but could easily hold a conversation with any one of us. I was glad I'd asked her to stay.

Laurel seemed completely at ease with the new house mate, like she knew that she was going to stay with us. I caught them once or twice, talking as if they'd known each other for a while. They got along easily.

Dean, however, remained wary of the woman even though she saved my life. He knew what she had done to save me. The next day after I spoke to her in the forest, I told him about her as we lay in bed. He questioned why I was wearing jeans and socks. I lied and told him that I merely went out and sat on the porch to talk with Ambriel and Cas. Dean nodded in understanding but something in his expression seemed hurt or annoyed that he wasn't there.

After that week of recovery and getting used to having yet another body in the large farmhouse, I decided to resume my training. Dean and I worked outside again, despite the chilling weather. I had worn a woolen hat with a warm sweater and jeans. Working out in jeans was never the best idea but we were taking it easy to start off. Besides, I thought the pants I had chosen were among the more flexible. I could still move around easily without fear of tearing the fabric. Dean remained in his usual, flannel and jeans.

I had tied my hair back in a loose braid underneath my hat. It flopped against my back whenever I jumped out of the way of Dean's advances. We had already dropped the punching portion about twenty minutes after we'd started, going straight for the grappling. After he completely beat me that one time I was determined to kick his ass. Or at least try harder.

Dean stood before me, widened stance, white grin spread across his face. The man was a great wrestler and he very well knew it, too. The autumn sun shone down, bringing out the highlights in his hair and casting a shadow under his clean shaven jaw. "You sure you're up for this?" he teased.

I scoffed as we circled each other, prepared for attacks from either side. "Come over here and find out," I challenged with a wicked smile. I raised a brow at him, beckoning.

Dean charged and swooped down to take out my legs. I quickly locked an arm underneath his neck, sprawling my legs out behind me so that he couldn't reach them. I held onto his neck as I pressed my chest between his shoulder blades, bearing my weight on top of him. He held onto my arm, trying to pull it away from his neck so that he could breathe while attempting to grab one of my legs with the other. I scooped my free arm under his, lifting with all my strength to get it off the ground and away from my legs. In doing so, I was distracted from my grip on his neck. He went for the opening and freed himself, standing with his outweighing strength while swooping up one of my legs and taking me with him.

I squealed as he lifted me off my feet, one arm holding my leg captive by the thigh, pinning it to his side. Dean's other arm was strapped across my back. He took a step forward, about to put me on my back but I flailed, heaving myself up my pushing my hands against his shoulders. Unable to free myself, Dean chuckled. I dropped back down, him still holding me by the back and thigh. I wrapped my free leg around the inside of one of his, hooking it and pulling. He quickly lost balance and fell to the side with an audible grunt.

I jumped at the chance, hooking both my arms under one of his and swinging my legs in the opposite direction. One lay across the top of his chest, on top of the arm, while the other leg was under the arm across the bottom of his pumping chest. I yanked his arm towards me and leaned, arching my back and extending a full arm bar on Dean. He couldn't move his head or the arm I had trapped, his other one was just as useless as his flailing legs. He immediately tapped on my knee, telling me to let go.

I released him and swung my legs off of his chest. I sat beside him and watched as he sat up, the both of us slightly winded. "You watch too much UFC, Rowdy," he panted, swatting at my leg.

I giggled in response. I hadn't felt that good in a while. My body was recovering and getting back into shape. God, I missed training. Being active gives you a sense of pride. Sure, it feels like shit at first but it gets better the more you work at it. Kicking Dean's ass also gave me pride boost. That, too.

From the spot on the grass where we had put down the punching pads, Dean's phone rang. He crawled over to it and answered, remaining seated on the grass. I waited, taking the moment to adjust my hat and sweater. Dean listened to the person on the other end, sneaking glances at me. I tilted my head to the side, curious about what he was thinking. He paused before saying, "Yeah. I think it's time." I guessed that he was talking to Sam, regarding a hunt hopefully. "We'll be there," he said before hanging up and putting the phone in his pocket.

"So?" I questioned, raising a brow.

"Sam's got a missing teenager case," Dean answered while helping me up. We picked up our gear and began walking around to the porch. "I figured it was time to help out. You seem back to normal. But you don't have to come if you don't want to," he quickly added as we walked up the stone steps to the front door.

I stopped, a hand resting on the doorknob. "No, I wanna go. I feel great now. It's time to be useful." I looked sideways up at Dean, who began to smirk slightly. "Let's get packing."

Later, after loading the trunk of the Impala with our bags and weapons, we all packed into the car. Isaac tagged along once again, eager to actually see a hunt through. I invited Ambriel, whose face seemed to light up like a child's when I asked. She accepted and packed her own bag, sliding into the backseat beside Isaac. The man looked like a giant beside the small woman. I couldn't help but snicker to myself.

A day later, we arrived in Limestone where Sam awaited us with the mysterious case. I sat in the front seat of the Impala, tapping my knee as Dean drove the four of us to the police department where Sam told us to meet him. I wore a cream coloured V-neck sweater with dark blue jeans and brown, ankle high boots. On top of it all I wore a green, military style jacket. The demise of my beloved brown leather jacket at the hands of the demon, Drake, forced me to pick a new signature.

We arrived in front of the police department where Sam leaned against his car with a folder tucked under his arm. He walked over to the parked Impala as we got out, nodding curtly to me with a forced smile. He knew the details of the demon attack. He offered to drive back to the farm, Dean told me a few days earlier. But Dean assured him that I was fine.

"What's the sitch?" I asked Sam, placing my hands on my hips and peering over the file that he opened. Dean took a place on Sam's other side while Isaac merely looked over my shoulder. Ambriel stood on Dean's far side, clearly not quite sure what to do.

"Six girls in seven days," Sam announced, flipping through the missing persons reports from the folder. Each of the girls in the pictures looked young, impressionable. Girls around that age often went missing, falling into traps or being taken. "More disappearances than this city's seen in over a year. All about the same age and a shower away from greatness. I wonder what else they got in common"

I looked up, pushing my loose hair behind an ear. "Six directions to go in," I started. "Which one comes first?"

"The seventh," Sam stated, closing the folder. "Another call just came in today." He left us, starting to walk towards the motel across from the police station.

I sighed and went to the trunk, pulling out my duffel bag as Dean grabbed his. I passed Isaac his own bag, him saying his thanks, before giving Ambriel her own. It was surprisingly light compared to everyone else's. I took note of how nice her fashion sense actually was. Today she wore a white, knee length dress with black leggings. The dress was taken in at her hips by a brown belt. She wore dark brown ankle boots with an inch or two of heal. On top of it all, she had a long, dark grey button up coat that went just past the bottom of the dress. She looked slightly more formal than the rest of us, but at least she didn't stand out.

After dropping off our things in the motel, we all got back into the Impala. Sam joined us this time, not wanting to take two separate cars to see the family of the most recent missing teen. I felt kind of sorry for Ambriel, having taken the front seat before Sam could call shotgun. The little angel now sat squished in the middle of the backseat between Sam and Isaac, two behemoths. She was obviously uncomfortable but tried to make the most of it, staring out the window past Sam at the countryside. Sam rarely spoke to her, still a little wary of the angel he had never met before. He only knew why she was with us, not the limits of her power or her past.

We arrived at the girl's house—Kristen, I think her name was. I got out of the car as well as Sam and Dean. I bent down and looked into the back seat window at Isaac. He waved us off, fine with waiting in the car with Ambriel. I walked into the house with the Winchesters after the father of the girl had opened the door and invited us in.

"Kristen's a good kid," the father told us. He was a small man, standing before the three of us stiffly and seemingly troubled. Well, I couldn't blame the guy for his composure—his daughter just went missing. "A little naïve, sure," he continued, glancing between the three of us. "You try and be a good parent." I wondered what he meant by that. Was something wrong with this girl? By the sound of it, the dude wasn't necessarily the proudest parent. "Girls are hard," he looked at his feet shamefully.

I raised a brow in slight offense but didn't act on it. "Right, well," I began instead, "we'd just like to find your daughter."

The man hesitated but then tilted his head to the stairs behind us. "Last door on the left."

The three of us looked in the direction of the stairs before inclining our heads to the man in thanks. We went up the stairs, Sam leading the way. "What do you think he was talking about?" I asked. "Drugs? Alcohol?"

Dean shrugged beside me as we reached the top of the stairs. We followed the man's directions to Kristen's bedroom door. Sam opened it, having to turn on the light to see into the dark room. I peered over his shoulder, pushing him in slightly so that I could see. He punched me in the arm teasingly but moved so that Dean and I could follow him into the room. I scoffed at Sam but immediately went dead faced upon taking in the room.

"My God," I whispered with wide eyes. The walls were red, a little intense for a teenager. Every square foot of the room was decorated with vampire movie posters, books, skulls and any other creepy vampire thing you could think of. Even the bedsheets were adorned with pale, vampire heart throbs. I winced in disgust. "This is what teenagers have become?"

"This is so much worse than drugs," Dean commented, moving slowly as if afraid of triggering a booby trap. "Please don't tell me you were like this when you were a teenager."

"I think I'm gonna throw up," was my only response. "These aren't vampires, these are douchebags." I closed the bedroom door and began to investigate the area.

Sam began ruffling the pillows on the bed. I helped him, pushing the blanket aside. I cringed at the tween vampire that stared back at me from one of the pillows. I punched at it's face lazily before tossing the pillow aside. Dean scoffed at me.

"Ah ha," Sam exclaimed. He pulled out a red laptop from underneath the pillows. "Let's see what we can see." He waved it in the air for Dean to see as he went over to the desk. He sat down, me and Dean hovering over each of his shoulders.

Dean playfully shoved me to the side. I huffed and pushed him back, kicking him lightly in the shin. He smirked mischievously and resumed looking over his brother's shoulder.

"Alright," Sam said, opening the laptop. He pressed a button, the screen coming to life as a screaming sounded from the speaker. Another vampire face showed up as the screensaver. My nose scrunched distastefully. "That's just… uncomfortable," Sam commented with the same look on his face.

"What's he so bummed out about?" Dean inquired, referring to the pouty face that the screensaver boy wore.

Sam opened the browser, only to be asked for Kristen's password. I sighed, starting to think of the lame possibilities of what it could be. Sam typed in 'Dracula' and hit enter, only to be screamed at by the annoying audio. Incorrect.

I began to wander around the room, searching for hints of what it could be. Dean joined me, picking up one of the pillows from the bed and studying it with a disgusted look. Another scream from the computer signified that Sam had failed again. Dean picked up a book from the bedside table, holding it in front of me to see. "Look at this," he said. On the cover, a girl in white was sleeping on a bed while a shadowy figure stood in the background watching her. "He's watching her sleep, how is that not rapey?"

I scoffed as Sam spoke up, telling us to be quiet. Dean and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes, continuing to search. Dean opened the book to where the girl had marked a page. He walked away from me, beginning to read sarcastically. _"He could hear the blood rushing inside her, almost taste it…"_ I slowly followed him with a smile on my face, trying to keep from laughing. "_He tried desperately to control himself but Romero knew their love was impossible—_Romero? Really?"

"Dean," Sam warned his brother, giving him a stern look before turning back to the computer. "Shut up."

"This is a national best seller," Dean chimed, holding the book in the air. "How is that possible?"

I reached from behind him, my chest pressed to his back, and grabbed the book from his hands. He looked back at me with a fake frown before quickly stealing a kiss before walking over to the bed. I giggled and put the book back where he found it. One more scream from the laptop signified yet another failed attempt.

I stood beside Sam as he sighed in front of the computer. "Try Lautner," I suggested, recalling those weird Twilight movies. Sam typed it in and entered. Another incorrect attempt. We both sighed. I glanced back at Dean who held one of the pillows, staring harshly at the face on it.

"Hey, how many t's are there in Pattinson—wait, that's it," Sam exclaimed. I turned back to the laptop, seeing the girl's online profile. I clapped Sam on the back to congratulate him.

Dean walked over and put a hand on my lower back as he looked at the profile. "Alright, so?"

"Well, her inbox is full," Sam said, clicking on it, "from some guy claiming to be a vampire."

"A real vampire?" Dean asked sarcastically, just about done with all this teen vampire crap.

"Um, well 'I can only meet you at night', 'I can't trust myself with you', 'the call of your blood is too strong…'" Sam listed and trailed off. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Sam looked up briefly before turning to us. "Vampires fishing for victims?"

"Seems like easy prey," I agreed.

"For actual vamps," Dean chipped in.

"Girls are just throwing themselves at you," I continued. "All you gotta do is… I don't know, write bad poetry."

Sam clicked on one of the messages. "This guy wanted to meet her at a place called 'The Black Rose'." The three of us rolled our eyes.

"Gimme a break," Dean huffed and stood tall, pulling me with him and snaking an arm around my waist.

"Just reporting the news," Sam defended, closing the laptop and turning back to us. He believed it. I could tell by the look in his eyes. This was a real case by the looks of it.

The next day, the five of us waited in a back alley beside the Impala. We were right around the corner from that 'Black Rose' place. I chatted with Ambriel. She was telling me about her travels around the world. In this case, she was talking about her time in Scotland during the 60's. I was so intrigued by her stories. She seemed just as eager to tell them as I was to listen. She never got over excited or flustered when she spoke. She always remained calm and elegant. I expected no less.

On the other side of the car, Sam was on the phone with his grandfather, Samuel. He was inquiring about the case, gathering as much information as he could from the man doing the research. Isaac remained in the car, reading the second_ Eragon_ book I had given him before we left for the hunt. Dean, on the other hand, could remain still. He walked around the area, scoping it out as if we were going to be attacked at any moment. I snuck quick glimpses of him as I listened to Ambriel, giving him stern looks whenever we made eye contact.

He made his way back over to us as Sam hung up the phone. We gathered to hear what he had to say. "He wants us to check out the nest," he began. "Doesn't make sense that they'd steal blood from that van last night when they have all those girls with them."

He was right. Just last night there was an attack on a van transporting donated blood. No doubt vampire work. We stumbled upon the scene this morning, the driver had been mauled and killed.

"Let's go check out this bar first," Isaac suggested, getting out of the car. "Find a lead as to where this nest is."

I nodded in agreement before the five of us began walking through the alley towards the bar. Once inside, my eyes had to adjust to the dimness of the place. It was worse than being inside a Hollister. All the overhead lights were off other than spotlights illuminating the bar and seating areas. Others shone down on random spots around the place. Ambriel stayed close to me, instantly gaining a protective look as we went further into the sketchy place.

I stayed close to Dean, who kept a hand on my lower back as we went to the bar and sat down. Sam and Isaac took up seats on the end while Ambriel sat on my other side. Goth people walked around like they owned the place. I guess I couldn't really blame them. Out on the streets people would give them weird looks, but in here they fit it. We were the ones that stood out.

"You think she wears that much rubber to the beach?" Dean asked regarding a girl that walked by wearing a latex cat suit.

I shoved his arm playfully and leaned back against the counter, taking in the strange place. Dean ordered a beer along with Sam and Isaac. Ambriel and I decided to stick with water.

I glanced over at Sam who was looking at me and Dean. He jerked his chin to a Goth boy at the other end of the bar. He was getting all touchy feely with a girl that appeared to be under 18. I looked him over. I turned back to Sam and shrugged.

"Hard to tell in a place like this," Dean commented, his eyes scanning the area. He pointed out another man to me, who was getting close to a woman, nipping at her ear and whispering to her.

Sam walked over to us and tapped me on the shoulder, pointing to the boy we were just looking at. He was leading the girl out of the bar, the both of them smiling broadly. "That one's on the move," he said, putting down his beer.

Isaac came over, putting his drink down as well. "Look," he said, gesturing to the ear nibbler who was also walking away in the opposite direction. "I'll follow him," he pointed to the one leading the girl.

"I'm coming too." Dean stood up and rubbed my shoulder blades. "Stay here," he told me before following the moving suspect with Isaac.

"Like hell," I quipped and pushed Sam towards the other man, the two of us trailing him quickly. I didn't doubt that our angel friend was close behind.

He walked down a crowded staircase that led to a dark basement level. Sam and I remained paces behind to stay out of his radius. We walked through the corridors, behind pierced and tattooed people, as the man we followed turned a corner. Less and less people were in the area as we moved. The entire basement wreaked of liquor and cigarettes.

We went cautiously until we reached the end of the tunnel-like hallway. The man was nowhere to be seen. To the left was a pitch black corridor with a red exit sign hanging above a door I could barely see. Sam kept me behind him, pushing me back as I instinctively tried to lead the way.

We reached the door and he opened it, revealing a dark storage looking room. A swinging light dangled from the ceiling, illuminating a small area. We walked in carefully, Sam holding a hand behind him, keeping me back as he shielded me from any potential threats. We walked around a shelf, slowly looking around.

A loud hiss sounded from behind me. I jumped and Sam yelled "Duck!" I fell to my knees as he swung the large knife that he hid in his jacket. He extended a hand to help me up. When I stood I looked behind me at the vampire Sam had beheaded, it's teeth still showing. I back away from the pooling blood, not wanting it to get on my boots.

"Thanks," I breathed out. Sam patted me on the shoulder and we started back the way we came, leaving the carcass in the basement. We ran into Ambriel who was just opening the door to the room we were in. I grabbed her arm and led her back up to the bar, our new mission to find Dean and Isaac.

The three of us ran out into the alley, which had now become gloomy due to the night. We stopped not thirty feet from where Dean and Isaac stood. The boy they were tracking was running far away from them. I smiled in relief.

Dean looked back in our direction, smirking upon seeing me. Isaac stayed a moment longer, watching the boy disappear behind a corner before turning and walking with Dean towards us. Before they got a few steps in our direction, a plump man stepped up behind them. My blood ran ice cold. He said something to the boys that I couldn't hear, making them turn around to look at him. I remained frozen, hoping that it was just some homeless, crazy-haired dude asking for cash. But as Dean brushed the man off and began walking again, the man grabbed his shoulders and threw him a good twenty feet behind with incredible strength.

"Dean!" I yelled and began to run for him as he slammed into a dumpster and rolled off. Sam held me back, though, his strength keeping me in place.

Isaac whipped out his knife and swung for the vampire. The shaggy looking man dodged him easily and grabbed him, throwing him in our direction. Sam let go of me only for Ambriel to take his place, holding my arms as I fought to free myself and help Dean. The girl's strength far outmatched mine.

Sam kneeled next to Isaac, who was unconscious from the landing. I looked on with furious tears pricking my eyes as Dean got up, wielding a large piece of metal. He swung at the vampire several times but he was weakened by the throw. The vampire easily moved out of his clumsy hits. Dean dropped the weapon as the vampire grasped his jacket and pinned him against the dumpster, punching him several times. The creature bit into it's own wrist.

"No!" I screamed, fighting against Ambriel but she held firm. The angel was just as shocked as I was.

Sam stood up, watching, not even moving to help his brother. He observed as the vampire pressed is bleeding wrist to Dean's lips. Only after did Sam run forward, drawing his blade. The vampire backed off of Dean, letting him fall to the pavement. The vampire laughed at Sam as the hunter swung his blade. It quickly waved at him before running away, climbing up the side of the building using the fire escape.

Ambriel released me when it was out of sight, letting me sprint past Isaac towards Dean. Sam was standing over him, not helping him up. I skidded to a stop and knelt beside Dean. He looked sideways at me, miserable, before whispering, "Will."

I stared at the blood covering the area around his mouth, horrified. I refrained from touching him, my hands remained hovering above him before I dropped them at my sides. I shook my head, doubt and fear flooding through my brain.

We managed to get Dean and Isaac back to the motel room. Ambriel remained beside Isaac until he woke up as Sam and I closed the curtains, blocking out any prying eyes. Dean rubbed his face and head irritably, groaning "Ah, my God, What is that sound?"

Sam turned towards him after closing the last of the curtains. "What sound Dean?" he asked rather harshly. Indeed, there were barely any noises in the room. It was quiet save for Dean's painful sounds.

Dean squinted his eyes and whipped his head around to us. I stayed a safe distance away from him, hating every second of it. I wanted to help him but I knew that something was wrong with him. I crossed my arms to stop myself from making a move, keeping my mouth shut.

Dean walked towards the wall behind the beds, Ambriel standing between Dean and Isaac protectively. Dean ignored her and slammed his hand against the wall twice. "Keep it down, dammit!" he yelled. He looked at the light hanging from the ceiling above us and held out a hand to shield his eyes, wincing. "Please—please shut that off," he begged.

I immediately moved to the switch and turned off the overhead light, desperate to help. I frowned at Dean after the light was off, the room now in darkness save for the small wall lamps. "Dean?" I asked.

"Dean, you should sit down," Sam cut in.

"You should sit down," Dean snapped at him, continuing walking around and rubbing his head.

I went over to Ambriel, who was helping a wincing Isaac sit up. "Is there anything you can do for him?" I whispered to her.

She looked up at me with golden eyes, regret filling them. "I'm sorry. I don't know where to even begin to help."

I huffed and went to stand beside Sam, watching a feral Dean. "Of all the ways to die, I never thought I'd be going out quite like this," he grunted, sitting down on one of the chairs by the table and running a hand over his eyes.

"You're not going to die," I told him sternly, putting on a commander's face. "Now man up and fight it."

He grunted, seeming to ignore me as he stared at the clock on the bedside table. He stood up and bounded over to it, yanking the cord out of the wall with a spark. Ambriel stood defensively once again, prepared to do God knows what to Dean if he crossed a line. I prayed that he didn't.

"Samuel's going to kill me once he gets here," Dean stated as he stalked towards me and Sam. "He's going to kill me because neither of you are going to do it." He pointed accusingly at us.

"No one is going to kill you, Dean," I shot, my voice booming in assertiveness.

Dean looked at me wildly. "Look at me!" he shouted. "I'm not getting better."

"We'll figure it out, just calm down," I told him, my voice never wavering.

Dean then turned to Sam and took a step towards him. "Why aren't you freaked out?" His voice raising in question.

"Of course I'm freaked out," Sam defended.

"Really?" Dean continued, challenging his brother. "Cause I can hear your heartbeat and it's pretty damn steady."

I sucked in a breath. _No_, I thought. It was happening so fast. The turn. My own heart was racing a thousand miles per second. I knew he could hear mine, how terrified I was.

"That's cause I'm trying to remain calm," Sam struggled to compose himself. "Dean, look, Samuel will know what to do."

Dean didn't buy it for one second, backing away and shaking his head. "Come on man, I'm a monster. This is not a problem that you spit ball." He turned away from us. "We gotta deal with this before I hurt somebody." He groaned in pain again as we looked on in silence.

"How does it feel?" Sam asked.

"Now?" Dean questioned, exasperated. "Now you wanna talk about my feelings?"

"Come on," Sam reasoned. "I mean physically." He waved a hand up and down Dean in gesture.

"How do you think it feels?" Dean brushed past the two of us. "Not good."

"Where are you going?" Sam watched Dean carefully.

"Bathroom," Dean shot. "News flash Mr. Wizard: Vampire's pee!"

I raised my brows and went over to the bed. Plopping down on it, I observed Sam. He was so calm and collected whereas I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. He didn't even help Dean when he was being attacked. This wasn't Sam. He had a motive.

We agreed that Isaac and I should stay in a different motel across town motel while Sam and Ambriel watched over Dean. I was reluctant to leave but I knew that it was too dangerous having him around us. Sam let us take his car. We both got separate rooms next to each other, just in case something went awry.

I closed and locked my door before going over to the bed and dropping the duffle bag beside it. I sighed and threw on a tank top and purple pajama shorts before walking barefoot over to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I brushed out my hair, thinking of the total discomfort Dean must have been in that moment. I shook it out of my head and left the bathroom.

I pulled out a knife from my duffle bag and set it on the bedside table along with my phone in case Sam called. I got under the covers and turned off the light, keeping my eyes open as I stared at the ceiling. The day's events rushed through my head as I struggled to find a solution to our problem. _Samuel had a Djin cure_, I pondered. _Maybe he can make one to save Dean_. I nodded to myself, sure of my thoughts. _It's going to be ok_, I told myself before dozing off.

I awoke in the middle of the night, shaken by a sharp chill down my spine. I sat up and gasped, scooting back against the headboard. A shadowy figure was sitting at the foot of the bed. I reached for the knife on the table but stopped when I heard his voice.

"Will, it's me," Dean muttered, not turning. He kept his back to me, hunched over and breathing heavily. I wondered how he got away from Sam and Ambriel. I half expected the angel to show up at any second.

I took my hand back and pulled the covers away. I swung my legs out of the bed, meeting the cold hard wood floor. I padded over cautiously to the end of the bed, staying a few feet away. In the faint streetlight from the window, I could see his scrunched up face as he groaned.

"Dean, why are you here?" I questioned gazing down at him with a creased forehead.

"I just want you to know," he began, clenching his fists to control himself, "that I love you… and thank you, for everything you've done for me. You made it all worth it." He looked down at his lap, pained.

I felt compassion for him. I trusted him in that moment so I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. "Don't act like this is some goodbye, Dean," I told him. "Don't give up like that."

Dean shook. "I gotta go." He started to stand up.

I grabbed his shoulder and stood with him, trying to hold him back. In immediate response, he took my arm with one hand and my neck with the other. He lifted me off my feet with ease, shoving me onto my back on the bed. I gasped as I hit the hard mattress, Dean firmly planted on top of me. He tightened his grip on my neck, causing the blood to build up in my face and my breathing to become raspy. I struggled for air, looking up at his angry face as I held onto his wrist with my free hand.

I could have hit him. I could have twisted and slithered out of his grip to grab my weapon. But I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him, to let him know that I was afraid of him. I wasn't going to let him think that he was becoming a monster that terrified me.

I took my hand away, letting it fall beside my head. All resistance in my body ceased as my vision began to blur. "It's ok," I rasped. My lungs screamed for air but I forced myself to remain calm. "It's ok." A tear slid down from one of my eyes as my vision blurred.

Dean breathed onto my chin, his face almost touching mine. I allowed it to happen, part of me trusting him and part of me accepting that this was happening. I closed my eyes as my heartbeat thudded within my chest, no doubt taunting Dean further. I took my last breaths as my consciousness slipped away into oblivion.

I woke up and Dean was gone. The light in the room was turned on and Ambriel sat beside me on the bed, her hand pressed to my forehead. I expected my neck to be swollen to hell but I felt fine, the angel having already healed me. Her golden eyes were filled with concern as she took her hand away.

I sat up, the angel getting off the bed and standing. I looked around the room for any sign of Dean, any sign that what just happened was real.

"Where is he?" I asked, glancing over to the open window. Probably where he had gotten in.

"I took him back to the other motel," Ambriel said, putting her hands in her pockets and standing surprisingly relaxed. "I found him climbing out the window when I got here."

I loosed a breath, realising that he had tried to leave. He tried to get away before losing complete control. I instinctively went to feel my neck, to check for any bite marks. "Did he feed?" I looked worriedly over at Ambriel who shook her head in response. I closed my eyes in relief. _There's still time_.

I stood and picked up my bag from the ground, dropping it onto the bed and scouring through it. I hastily picked out an outfit and started to change, not caring about the present angel. She shifted uncomfortably, turning her gaze away.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, brows close together.

I zipped up my jeans and fastened the belt. "You're taking me back," I practically ordered. "I'm no use here." I took off my tank top, replacing it with a grey t shirt before throwing my green jacket on. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the little brown boots, tying up the laces.

"You're no use dead, Willa," the angel shot, giving me a hard look. I glared up at her, irritated by her sudden sternness. "It's too big a risk to have you near him."

I stood, shoving the rest of my belongings into my bag and zipping it up. I turned back to Ambriel, walking right up to her until she had to look up to meet my eyes. "Take me back," I began, "please."

It must have been the desperate tinge in my voice that made her change her mind because she reached out and grabbed my arm. Her lips thinned into a reluctant line but with a squeeze of her hand, we were back in Sam's motel room. The lights remained off so I had to look around for a second for my eyes to adjust.

But as Ambriel let go, moving to stay close by my side, I saw Samuel standing by the table with Sam. The two of them looked up from a duffle bag that Samuel was fumbling with. The old man walked over to me with a worried look before placing a big hand on my upper arm. I honestly felt a rush of relief flow through me. _Samuel is going to help Dean_, I assured myself.

"Are you ok?" he inquired with sincere lines across his forehead.

I nodded solemnly, recalling what had just happened between me and Dean. I brought a hand up to my neck, brushing the tender flesh gingerly. I opened my mouth to explain to Samuel what had happened but he cut in before I could muster the words.

"Did he feed on you?" He took his hand away from my arm, almost afraid to touch me. His pitying look turned into an anxious one.

I shook my head feverishly but it wasn't my voice that spoke in response.

"You can relax, I didn't drink anyone," Dean growled. We all looked over to see him stand up from the bed. Ambriel must have put him there when she brought him back unconscious.

Samuel took my arm in a death grip and dragged me behind him and Sam while they pulled out two blades. Ambriel stood beside them, the three just about ready to die in defence. I peered over Sam's shoulder to see Dean standing there, gruff and angry looking. He was obviously irritated. But when our eyes met, his scowl turned into a face of regret. His brows hitched together and his lips parted. My heart beat in anticipation of what he was going to say but he hesitated.

"I told you to kill me before anyone got hurt," he stated, now looking at his brother before me.

Sam's back tensed and he stood up straighter. I could think of a million things he would want to say to his brother other than 'Sorry I didn't kill you'.

Dean just shook of his jacket, throwing it down on the bed with a huff. "Alright," he turned to his grandfather, "do it."

Samuel stalked forward, knife in hand. "Alright," he said, "if you insist."

I grabbed for his arm to stop him but he shook me off, his eyes locked with Dean's. My pulse raced as Sam reached down and held onto my wrist. God, I hated when people felt the need to hold me back. I just about yanked myself from Sam when I realised that Samuel hadn't even raised his weapon, even when he was a mere foot away from Dean.

"Or I could just turn you back," Samuel told Dean.

"What?" everyone else in the room exclaimed, even the angel.

My head tilted in question even though I secretly prayed that Samuel would say something like that. Dean however, looked almost pissed. It was like the man wanted to die and be done with it. I gave a glance up to Sam, who returned the confused look with a shrug.

"I didn't drive all this way to kill you, Dean. I'm here to save you." Samuel practically scolded the older Winchester. But relief flooded through me, making my bones temporarily weak.

And so, we gathered around Samuel at the table. Dean sat opposite to us while Sam and I took up seats on either side of the old man. Ambriel hovered protectively over my shoulder which made me slightly more irritated, though I opted not to say anything.

I leaned closer as Samuel flipped to a page in an old looking journal, the street light outside providing something to see by. It was difficult to make out the scribbles on the page before Samuel slid the book across the table to Dean. Sam and I kept exchanging anxious looks the whole time. Dean picked up the book, studying its contents.

"That's my grandfather's journal," Samuel explained. "The cure's an old family recipe. No one's tried it since God knows."

I kept my eyes on Dean as I asked, "But it works?"

"It should," came the reply. "From what I hear it's a bad trip. But the cure is good."

"If it's good then how is it not known by every hunter out there?" I questioned, wondering how something so "good" could be kept a secret when it could have helped so many people.

Samuel turned to me, the look on his face was as if he were scolding a child. "It's not easy getting all the ingredients. The cure could get even more people killed if you wanted to pursue it."

I ignored my curiosity, not wanting to get into an argument when we had so little time to help Dean. I swallowed my pride. "So what do we need?"

"Well, first of all," Samuel started, "Dean can't drink. I mean not one drop of human blood."

"I got it," Dean cut in, obviously agitated.

"Do you?" Samuel persisted. "Because you will feed and it's only a matter of time."

"We won't let it get to that," I said harshly. I was becoming almost as angry as Dean. "What do we need for this cure?" Sam was giving me warning looks, silently telling me to let Samuel do his thing. I raised a brow at the younger Winchester, a quiet gesture to shut the hell up.

"Some stuff we got and some we need to get," Samuel said. "Maybe you could help us out?" He looked up, past me, to the ever so quiet angel. I turned my neck to see her as she responded. Ambriel just nodded her head once in acknowledgement. "Good," Samuel continued. "The one other thing we need is the trickiest: blood of the fang that turned you." He looked to Dean who set down the journal and leaned back in his chair.

"I can get it," Dean stated as he rose from his seat, swinging on his jacket.

"What, you're going to waltz right into the nest?" I asked after him while crossing my arms before my chest.

"Well I'm one of 'em, aren't I," Dean replied, not looking at me but at his grandfather. It was like he was accusing Samuel. "All I gotta do is get the guy alone and finish the job."

"Easier said than done," I told him.

"I'm going with you," Sam said as he moved to stand up.

He stopped upon Dean silencing him. "No. Dude, you reek. You're like a walking hamburger."

I scoffed quietly at his remark, to which Dean seemed to notice. He gave me an assuring wink and a smirk. "I'm going alone. Dude's two miles east of town." I gave Dean a confused look. "I can smell him." I nodded, pretending to understand. "You guys get the other crap and meet me there."

"Dean," Samuel called after his grandson before he could reach the door. Dean turned around and glared at him. Samuel and Sam stood, me following, as the old man walked over to Dean and held a syringe before him. "There's enough dead man's blood in there to drop a linebacker and then some," he explained as Dean took it carefully. "Good luck, son."

Dean didn't respond before walking out the door, no goodbyes. I sighed and turned to Ambriel who remained by the table. "Up for a bit of shopping?" I asked her.

The little angel replied "Yes" before taking out her cell phone and typing something. "I'm telling Isaac to stay in the motel until I get him," she explained. She put her phone into her grey jacket pocket and glanced back up at me. "I would tell you the same but I know now that you probably wouldn't listen." She gave me a sassy kind of smile which I returned.

Samuel had written down the few ingredients we needed on a small piece of paper. He handed it to Ambriel who nodded her head as she read over the list.

"This shouldn't take long," she informed the man. "Wait here while I go out." Samuel said his thanks before the angel disappeared out of sight.

I strode over to Sam who was preparing a bag. I tapped him on the shoulder before he turned around, looking down at me with a frown. "Can I talk to you?" I asked.

"Yeah, uh, sure," he responded and zipped up the bag.

I led him out of the motel towards Samuel's parked truck. I turned around to face him as I leaned against the vehicle. I crossed my arms once more, signifying that we were about to have a talk. Sam seemed to catch onto it, bracing himself where he stood.

"You know we haven't really had much one on one time since you got back," I began. "That doesn't mean you can keep things from me." A stray gust of wind blew a lock of hair in front of my face. I casually tucked it behind my ear, staring at Sam as I awaited his answer.

He stuck his hands in his pockets dumbly, shrugging. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't bullshit me, Sam," I shot, my voice going cold with authority. "You're different. You let your own brother get attacked by that vampire."

"I was… just…" he mumbled, looking around, refusing to meet my eyes.

"You stood there and watched him get turned," I barked. "Since when are you ever rendered stupid in the face of danger, huh? Especially when your own family is in the fire. I couldn't believe you tonight. What the hell happened to you?" My forehead was becoming strained from the emotion creasing my face. I clenched my fists on my jacket sleeves, begging myself to remain under control.

"I don't know!" Sam snapped, honestly taking me by surprise. "Ever since I got out I've been different. I've felt different."

"Different how?" I asked in a softer tone.

"I don't feel anything," Sam answered. "I'm a better hunter than I've ever been. It's because I don't feel any kind of attachment to anything. It makes me more willing to get the job done." He looked at me, his eyes pleading with me to understand.

I felt a sense of accomplishment in getting him to talk. But I also felt guilty and sad for him. "What happened to you down there?" My voice was just over a whisper.

"I don't remember anything. I wish I did. I wish I had answers as to why I'm like this. But you have to trust me." He stepped closer, brows raised as he stared me down. "Please just trust me."

I looked up at him. This man who I had known for so many years, who I'd seen grow into the person that he was before he tumbled into that cage. This wasn't him. But I knew I needed to help Sam in any way I could. He was family.

"Ok," I told him.

"Please don't tell Dean."

I waited another moment, taken aback that he would tell me and decide to keep this a secret from his own brother. But I guess it was easier to tell me, especially after I had cornered him into doing so. His bond with his brother was stronger than ours. I understood that it would take him longer to figure out what to say. Unless Sam wanted to fix whatever was wrong with himself before Dean found out.

"That's a lot to ask," was all I said.

Sam took a breath, his exhale fogging in the cool of the night. "Please. I'm a better hunter now. I'm more useful. I promise that I'll do what I can to find out what's wrong with me. Just don't tell Dean in the meantime."

"You swear you're going to do as much research on this as that fat brain can handle?"

"I promise." Sam's eyes were pleading, making me feel even worse for the guy.

"Ok," I stated. "Just… try to act a little more human, ok?" I clapped him on the arm.

Sam smiled. "I'll try."

About half an hour later, Ambriel returned with the missing cure ingredients. Samuel organised them all on the table, ready for when we got Dean and the vampire blood. The four of us piled into the truck to get him, all the while I was scared to death that he would be dead when we found him.

I sat in the backseat with Ambriel. My hands were laced together, tightening with anxiety. Upon noticing my white knuckles, the angel placed a warm hand on top of mine. I looked over to her, seeing her give me a warm and comforting smile. The worry remained etched onto my face as I turned and stared back out the window.

Soon, the Black Rose bar sign appeared. Samuel turned the car into the alley, going down until we approached the entrance to the den. My blood pounded and I hoped that none of the vamps could hear it.

We all got out of the car, Sam handing me a large knife and drawing his own along with Samuel. Ambriel was weaponless, mostly because she was a weapon herself. She trailed close behind me, tense and quiet, as I followed the men into the dark building.

The interior of the place had no lights. It was the kind of abandoned place you would find homeless people in. I stepped cautiously, careful not to let my boots make too much noise on the hard floor. Samuel led the way, turning around several corners before opening a glass door. I gripped my knife tightly, ready to swing that anything that decided to pull a jump scare.

We all walked through the doorway to meet a gruesome sight. Several bodies lay on the floor, heads cut off and surrounded by blood. One was slumped over a railing. Blood was spattered against the dirty walls, portraying the kind of scene from a Saw movie.

"Looks like your brother has some Campbell in him after all," Samuel spoke, making me tense in surprise after the silence.

Sam walked ahead through another door. The rest of us followed out onto a balcony overlooking a large room. Cages lined the walls, I couldn't make out what was in them. But below, leaning against the far wall, was Dean. His face was expressionless as he stared blankly at the floor. The vampire that had turned him lay decapitated beside him. I almost sighed in relief if not for the strange feeling I got from the place.

"Dean, you ok?" I said carefully, loud enough so that my voice carried across the area.

It took him a moment, his gaze never leaving the floor, but Dean replied "Yeah, I'm ok."

I allowed myself to relax, doubting that any other creatures were lurking about after Dean was set loose upon them. I rested my hands on the balcony railing and sighed as I leaned forward, my pounding chest finally alleviated. Sam rubbed my upper back reassuringly before moving off to join Samuel as the two of them went down to collect the vampire's blood.

I remained in my place, staring at the weapon that was still in my hand. I had hoped that I would get to use it tonight but I knew that it was for the best that I hadn't.

"You love him," a female voice said beside me. I cast a side glance at Ambriel, who stood bone straight with annoyingly good posture. She was watching the men below, as if she was a queen surveying her subjects. No emotion showed on her beautiful face.

"Have you ever been in love?" I asked in response.

She waited, as if running through all her memories of her time on earth. "I don't know," she replied. "I've developed many emotions in my time here but I'm not quite sure what any of them mean. I know what they feel like I just… can't name them." Her brows creased together as she remained staring ahead. I could almost see the mechanical wheels turning in her head. "What does love feel like to you?"

I took a breath, not quite sure how to answer her innocent question. What _did_ love feel like? It had been so long since I was completely in it. The very thing was like an old friend, waiting for me to be reacquainted with it. "I guess…" I began, not really knowing where I was going to go with this. "It's when you're so close to someone that you would do anything for them… You would protect them at any cost. And when they're in pain so are you. You don't sleep… or eat or take care of yourself when they're hurt. Your one goal is to make them happy and well, to live the best life you can with them. You don't realise how much time you actually spend with that person, because it all goes by so fast. But at the same time, being with them feels like eternity…"

As Sam and the old man muttered something to Dean before leaving, he looked up at me. Any regular man couldn't hear what we were saying but with his heightened senses, I knew he was listening.

"When they smile or laugh it's like the world's greatest achievement." I smirked weakly. "And when they cry it's like you've failed your one mission in life… But you just know you were put on this earth for them. And they for you..." I looked at Dean the whole time. His face was soft, his eyes glistening as the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "And you wouldn't think twice about dying for them."

I hadn't noticed that my eyes were heavy with unshed tears. They waited to fall, and I didn't hold them back. Only one dared to escape, sliding down my cheek as it left a cold trail on my skin.

"No," Ambriel said quietly after a short silence. "I don't believe I've ever felt that before."

I considered her answer but all I could focus on was Dean. He stared up at me before smiling to himself and walking out of the room, leaving me with Ambriel. I stood tall and looked at the angel, who turned to me with such innocent eyes. I understood how she could never have felt something so strong before, even after lifetimes with humans. But something in her face told me that she yearned for it, to love someone. Maybe that was why she spent so much time here. Maybe she wanted to feel something for once, to hold something dear.

We both gazed at each other, the both of us desperate to understand what the other was feeling. I realised then that maybe it wasn't just the prophecy that brought Ambriel onto my path. Maybe fate brought us together to learn from each other, to help each other understand. We were kindred spirits.

Finally, back at the motel, Samuel finished the cure. All the strange looking ingredients lay scattered on the table after use. The bright red cure sat in a glass mason jar on the table as Samuel emptied a syringe of the vampire's blood into it, swirling it around. Dean stood close by, panting.

"If this works, it's not going to be a kiddie ride," Samuel warned, pouring the red concoction into a cup. Chunks of herbs and weeds filtered into it, making me want to gag at the thought of drinking it.

"I don't care just give me the damn thing," Dean grunted.

"So what did you see in there?" Sam asked. I stood beside him and glared at the younger Winchester.

"What?" Dean shot back.

"What did you see? In the den?" Sam pushed. I bumped him in the side with my hip, giving him an angry look. He shied away, realising that he was acting 'emotionless' again.

"I can't hear you, your blood is so freaking loud right now," Dean barked.

"Here," Samuel said as he pushed the cure into Dean's hands.

Dean hesitated after smelling the thing but downed the liquid as quickly as possible, grunting in disgust. I watched helplessly along with the others as Dean's body accumulated to the cure. He spit on the floor, trying to get rid of the aftertaste. Nothing seemed to be happening.

"I don't think it—" Dean began but turned around immediately and began throwing up in the waste bin behind. I couldn't see from my position but I caught a strong whiff of blood along with the stomach twisting scent of vomit. I positioned a hand over my mouth to keep myself from throwing up as well.

Dean struggled to stay upright as the cure expelled whatever vampire disease that was in his body. He stopped, growling and gasping in agony as he looked up at the ceiling. I had no idea what was going on but I knew it was extremely painful. He toppled over onto his side, his body twisting in convulsion as he seemed to struggle for breath.

All of a sudden, Dean was still. His eyes were closed as he lay there on the floor. I wanted to kneel next to him, to help him. But the fear in my heart that he was dead kept me paralyzed. But then, his beautiful eyes shot open. All the torment having vanished from his features. He moved to sit up but his pained expression forced me forward. I fell to my knees beside him and pulled him into a sitting position. I kept my grip around his shoulders as I held him up. Sam and his grandfather kneeled next to us, Sam clapping Dean on the back with a rueful smile. Dean himself was still disoriented, his mind in some distant thought. Eventually he came to and noticed me, smiling quickly before allowing me and Sam to help him to his feet. _We did it_.

The next day Isaac returned to help the rest of us pack up. He pretended to be cool with being left out but the annoyance in his eyes was hard to miss. It was the second hunt that was cut short for him. I thanked Samuel over and over again for saving Dean. He had hugged me, as if I were his own daughter, telling me that he was proud.

I was chatting with the old man, helping him sort all his papers on the able before packing them away. Dean walked out of the bathroom, making everyone in the room look his way. He had changed into jeans and a black long sleeve. Having showered, he looked refreshed and back to normal. I couldn't help but smile at him. I would have kept that smile if Sam hadn't of spoken.

"So what did you see in the nest?" he asked Dean innocently.

"Uh," Dean paused, taken by surprise at the sudden assault, "I don't know. I'm still, uh, processing everything. But I do know that they're not figuring out everything on their own." He walked towards me, Sam and his grandfather. "They're getting their orders from up top." He zipped up his open duffle bag on the chair beside the table. "You know, where to go next, everything."

"Up top as in…?" Samuel inquired.

"Their alpha," Dean finished, looking up at him. "At least that's what I think it is. It's some sort of psychic thing. He sends them, I don't know, messages?"

"Telling them what?" his brother asked.

"Honestly," Dean started, "recruitment drive. Their alpha's building an army."

"Shit," I cursed quietly. "That's comforting."

"Yeah, that's not the worst," Dean said.

"Then what is?" I pressed. "I mean this crap is straight out of a grown adult's nightmare."

"This is," Dean said coolly, looking at me. "We don't scare them anymore."

We all stayed in uncomfortable silence after that, putting on jackets and gathering our things to pack into the cars. No one wanted to say it but the words hung in the air between all of us. _This isn't the end_.

I sat in the passenger seat of the Impala. I had asked Ambriel if she could take Sam and Isaac back to the farm herself. Both men had complied quietly, the two of them worn out from the hunt. Ambriel agreed and took them by the arms, disappearing. I wanted to drive back with Dean, just the two of us. There were some things that were unsaid between us and the more time I got to spend with him, the more we could talk.

We had driven for a few hours before stopping at a diner. While Dean ran inside to get the food, I stayed in the car, texting Laurel about the hunt. I told her everything except or the talk I had with Sam, that remained between the two of us.

_So how's Dean, now?_ Laurel texted.

_He's fine,_ I replied. _Takes more than that to break a Winchester._

_Sam seems odd. Brie is quiet, but it isn't her usual quiet. I think she knows something. _Brie was our short nickname for Ambriel when we texted. Only Laurel really called her that to her face, though.

_Don't worry about it, _I told my friend_. It was her first hunt, it's still a little weird to her._

_Alright. Oh, hey, I've been looking at all these adoption sites for dogs, since you said you wanted some guard dog or something._

_And?_

_I think I found one close by. It's a German shepherd if you can believe it. He's at this shelter about an hour away from here._

_Rescue?_

_Yeah. They found him caught in some hunting trap. He's ok apparently but he's a little weird around people. You think he could be the one?_

_What's his name?_

_Doesn't have a name. Shelter didn't give him one, just some serial number._

_What were you thinking?_

_So we're getting him?_

_I didn't say that. What kind of names were you thinking for this dog we may or may not get?_

_I like Wesley._

…_yup. _

_You like it?_

_I love it. Old guy names are classy._

_So are we getting this dog?_

…_I suppose so._

_Oh my gosh! Yes! Thank you!_

_Love you, Ivy_.

_Love you, too, Harley ;)_

I smiled to myself as I put my phone back in my pocket. I had started calling Laurel Poison Ivy back in high school while she called me Harley Quinn. They were like our secret code names that we never really told anyone about.

Dean opened the driver's side of the Impala, sliding in with a ray of drinks and a bag of food. I took the drinks and set them in my lap as he settled the bag between us and started the car. It was almost dark out, the dash of the car faintly illuminated Dean's face.

I stared at him, taking in his features as I remembered what I said last night in the vampire den. I did feel all those things for him. I looked him right in the eyes as I said the words, as if it were some kind of confession.

Dean drove the car out of the parking lot, beginning to head down the road. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I tried to control myself but…" He kept exchanging looks between me and the road, the apology clear on his features.

"I know," I told him, giving him a supportive smirk. "I know you tried. I trusted you."

"I wanted to talk to you after. To tell you how bad I felt but… I didn't want to risk it again."

I smiled at him. "Well thank you for that. I didn't really feel like being someone's dinner. I appreciate it." Dean and I chuckled together for a quick second. I pulled out the burgers, handing Dean his and unwrapping mine. But his food stayed in his hand, even after I had begun to devour mine.

"What you said last night at the den," he started, gazing out to the empty road lost in thought. "I could hear your heart when you talked."

I stopped eating and watched him. The look on my face must have been completely dumbfounded. I stared at him, the way his lips parted, how his eyes creased in thought.

"It was so fast when you started talking," Dean carried on. "It was like you were nervous or something. I thought you were just making everything up. But then you looked down at me… and your heart went steady… The look in your eyes told me you were believing every word you said." He smiled to himself and we sat in a moment of quiet.

"I did," I told him, my voice as soft as I could make it. "I believed every word." I pushed my loose hair behind my ears, tears starting to swell in my eyes. I told myself not to cry this time. And to my amazement, my emotions complied.

"So did I," Dean said, looking over to me with a bright grin.

* * *

**Hey everyone! New chapter updated on the right day, as I'm surprised to say. I actually wrote this immediately after the previous chapter, finishing it a few days later. I really enjoyed writing this one but I know I can do better with later chapters and I promise that the story will progress, but keep in mind that this is going to go at a moderate speed and I'm not going to be rushing into things too soon. I see this story lasting a while and I'm in no hurry, so bare with me if you decide to stick through it all.**

**Thank you samgirl19 for the reviews and favorite! I really appreciate your input and I'm aware of how readers are taking to the story thanks to you. I'm working to create this story to be entertaining and thrilling for every reader, but I know it won't satisfy everyone. **

**But if anyone has opinions and ideas for the story, feel free to put them in the reviews.**

**I'm happy to tell everyone that I have updated the Almost Human Tumblr page. It now has character biographies for Willa, Isaac and Laurel. These have way more details on the character's lives that I haven't even written about in any chapters. So if you're interested in Isaac's upbringing and past, Laurel's mysterious history, or Willa's life and interests, check them out. There's also pictures if you would like to see what they look like. The link will be in my profile bio. (putting in actual links doesn't seem to be working for me at the moment so just copy and paste if you will, sorry!)**

**Now, enough of this chitter chatter! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this chapter and enjoy the summer! I'll be back next month!**


	11. Updates and the Like

Hello everyone, SkyQueen here (although from now on I'll just sign my notes as 'Sky') (not for any reason other than I feel like the whole username is a little formal and dreary after a while)

Anyway, I just wanted to thank those of you who have followed and favorited the story since my last update in August, it means a lot. Every time I got a notification it reminded me of the story (which, to be honest, I forgot about for the longest time). I promise I've been writing tidbits here and there but I just haven't felt that kind of spark since the summer. But I'm writing to say that I've picked up where I left off and I'm not giving up on this story. It's so much fun writing and I have big ideas of where it could go and I'm so excited to continue it.

I'm also going to stop promising to post on the 11th of every month because, as some of you may or may not know, I'm pretty shitty at actually keeping my word. Whenever I do write a new chapter and finish editing it always seems to be nowhere near the 11th and I end up waiting to post. From now on I'm just posting whenever I can, hopefully more frequently but I'm not going to promise just in case.

Ok, time to stop rambling. _**New update on the chapter**_: in progress, nearly half way done. I wanted to spend some time on this chapter, not just writing it but to go over it as many times as I need to before publishing because I feel like it's an important one for all the characters involved. Big character development that I need time to think about. I will tell you that (according to the episode order I've been going in lately) it's based on episode six from season 6: "_You Can't Handle the Truth_". It was a really important episode for Dean and Sam in that season and I didn't want to skip it. And being the little scavenger I am, I saw plenty of opportunities to add a little flavour. The song featured is "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2. It doesn't heavily influence the text I just couldn't get it out of my head when writing, but it also relates a little I suppose.

My apologies for giving false hope on a new chapter and just leaving a dragged on and boring update. I just wanted to set some things straight and let you know what's going on. This update will be deleted and replaced by the new chapter as soon as I'm done with it.

(By the way, even though I don't publicly mention all the new favorites and follows, I still remember and get butterflies whenever I see them ;) love you guys)

For any updates or character profiles you can always check out my tumblr .com

I'm also thinking of making a playlist somehow so feel free to add any songs you guys like or feel fit the story :)

Yours truly,

Sky


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